The world we live in has changed dramatically over the last forty years, and with it, businesses have had to adapt, learn, and grow. The consumer is placing more demands on us to be quicker, cheaper, and now, more sustainable. Understanding consumers' needs are essential for longevity in today’s world, so are you doing enough?

It’s never been more critical for companies to build sustainability into their culture. Ensuring they channel efforts into ecological and social responsibilities. It’s no longer acceptable to use wasteful packaging, the public wants to move away from plastic, and your carbon footprint could have a significant impact on your turnover. Demand for core values within a business to change has been so high that industry leaders have had to make some significant changes in their working day.

McDonald's and Burger king have moved away from the plastic straw after the internet lit up with campaigns that forced major players to invest in innovative solutions. Leading retail giants Walmart, IKEA, and H&M are working with their supply chains to reduce waste and improve material usage while ensuring local labor conditions within their suppliers are improved. Many companies have looked into 3D printing as a sustainable manufacturing process too, coming up with ways to cut down material waste, particularly through the prototype stage. Click here to see how 3D prototyping works.

Consumers are one of our stakeholders and how they think, feel, and behave should drive your marketing and your actions. Now, businesses can be held accountable by the public via social media, the people have a voice, and they are not afraid to tell you when you are unhappy. It’s essential to stay ahead of your competitors; however, working with other businesses in your sector could help generate more significant impacts across your whole industry. This, in itself, could help improve your relationship with your target audience.

Highlight areas within your business where you could make changes. Whether it is within your packing, production, or sales, there are multiple ways you can make a difference. Research what is available and see if you could reduce your waste. Speak to your suppliers to discover how they are making a move to a more eco-friendly world. If your product is being made overseas, look at the costs of having it manufactured closer to home. Invest some money and time into social projects to help people in low-income areas. And make sure your business is operationally set up to keep you on the path toward those goals. For instance, if you are a player in the agriculture sector, looking to scaling your commercial cannabis cultivation; you could delve deeper into sustainable practices like organic farming or water conservation and energy-efficient lighting systems. These changes are not only good for the environment but may also contribute to higher product quality and more recognition of your brand.

Most importantly, communicate with your consumers. Highlight what changes you are making, talk about your future commitments, and then ask them for their opinion. What would they like to see your industry do?

Now is the time to act, because when the consumer uses their voice, if they feel they aren’t heard, they will walk away. It’s not only vital for the planet that you step up and become a more sustainable business, but it’s also critical for the future success of your company, your staff, and your stakeholders. So look after the planet and ensure your future.

The world is changing. Business is changing. And the people with whom you do business are changing. In today’s digitally-enabled world, your customers and clients (whether you operate in the B2C or B2B space) know that they can afford to be fickle. They understand that a plethora of choices is only a Google search away. And if you can’t ably demonstrate that you can meet their needs, you will lose business to your competitors. Sure, SEO plays a part too. But most consumers, especially younger consumers are willing to do their homework to find brands whose ideals and priorities align with theirs.

Image by Geralt via Pixabay

And a big part of this is showing that you are committed not just to turning a profit, but to turning a profit ethically. Studies show that almost ¾ of millennial consumers would rather pay more to use a business that has a strong ethical focus rather than use one that doesn’t. And if you aren’t catering to these upwardly mobile, cash-rich consumers, you’re missing out on a highly viable target market.

50 shades of ethics

There are many business owners who have found great success by providing ethically conscious consumers with options which help them to live a lower-impact and more sustainable life. Indeed, an ethical focus is no longer a novelty these days, it’s imperative.

Society and business are (thankfully) moving away from the ‘greed is a virtue’ models that have permeated since the late ‘70s and begun putting more focus on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

The great thing about CSR is that it affords businesses a multitude of ways in which it can find more ethical ways of doing business while also helping them stay accountable to the clientele that uses them. Although treating and paying your employees well and ensuring that your customers have a direct means of holding you accountable are both vitally important, it’s also key to be able to demonstrate your eco-cred.

In these increasingly environmentally aware times, you need to be able to show that your operations are considerate of the planet we share and the finite resources that are quickly running out.

Here are some ways to do just that:

Eschew animal products

More and more consumers are going vegan (or at least trying to eat less meat) and eschewing products such as cosmetics which are tested on animals or contain materials derived from animals.

There are many ways in which you can eschew animal products from buying fewer dairy milk and using more plant milk in the break room to ensuring that none of the raw materials that go into the products you make come from animals.

Find a sustainable way to deal with your plastics

Plastic has been a ubiquitous part of modern living since the ‘50s… and our over-reliance upon it for pretty much everything we do has proven disastrous for our planet and particularly our oceans. Marine experts like Dame Ellen MacArthur predict that there will be more plastics than fish in our oceans by 2050 and documentaries like A Plastic Ocean have shown in uncompromising terms just how damaging our plastic fixation has proven to marine plant, bird and animal life.

As such, it’s vital that you deal with your plastic waste in a sustainable way, ensuring that they are duly separated and recycled by a reliable service provider. Nonetheless, recycling is still less efficient than not producing plastic waste at all.

Many businesses are investing heavily in plant-based or biodegradable alternatives to plastics in all aspects of their operations from packaging to products which bring us to...

By all means, use branded goods… but choose ethical promo items

Finally, promotional branded products are a wonderful way to create positive associations with your brand by giving people what we all want… something for nothing.

But the disposable (and unsustainable) nature of many of these products, especially those made from plastic, is no longer appealing to ethically focused consumers. Indeed, it can even put them off your brand.

The good news, however, is that no matter what you want to give away to prospective customers at trade shows and other events, there’s a more eco-friendly way to do it. Just take a look at these cool eco-alternatives which give all the value to new prospects but at none of the ecological cost. From biodegradable tote bags to reusable bamboo cups and even eco-friendly USB sticks made from sustainable bamboo, there are a wealth of ways in which you can demonstrate your ethical focus through your freebies.

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FemFounder

FemFounder

Sustainable Business

FemFounder

FemFounder