Small Businesses: What Could You Do To Be More Sustainable In 2020?

*Collaborative Post

The new year is almost upon us. And for business owners that means it’s time to start looking to the challenges that the new year will bring. It’s time to think about how you’ll hold your own as the market grows more competitive. It’s time to think about what will happen as the economy grows more uncertain with the looming issue of Brexit (whether you voted for it or not, there’s no denying that it will have long term economic repercussions including the possibility of a recession). But perhaps most importantly of all, it means doing your part to ensure that your business leads the charge for sustainability and ecological awareness. Given that our PM couldn’t be bothered to even turn up to a debate on climate change, it’s up to the UK’s businesses and entrepreneurs to show how much they care about a sustainable business future.

Why go green?

Going green is its own reward and helps us to ensure a better planet for our children to grow up in. More than that, however, it also helps us to make an impact among consumers who are growing more and more fickle. Today’s consumers, especially younger consumers, care deeply about ethics and environmental awareness, and will usually choose a brand with a strong sense of green ethics over one that doesn’t even if they have to pay more. So, here are some easy ways to make your business more sustainable...

Cut down on single-use consumables

Plastic forks, plastic takeaway boxes, single-use plastic straws… it’s all gotta go. No longer can we turn a blind eye to the damage that single-use plastics do to the environment. On the other hand, paper is far more sustainable for your business and readily recyclable. Try swapping out plastic forks for wooden alternatives and plastic straws for paper straws. The planet will thank you.

Serve more plants and less of everything else

Whether you’re a bar, restaurant or cafe or you simply feed your own workforce, serving more vegetarian and vegan options and less meat can help you to make a big difference for the environment. Animal agriculture is a major contributor to deforestation, habitat loss, reduced biodiversity and air pollution. Fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes, however, require far less water, land and resources to grow. So, serving more plants and less of everything else can not only help you better cater to a growing proportion of the population, it could potentially be one of the most environmentally meaningful changes your business makes.

Think carefully about how you dispose of e-waste

When your calculators, laptops, printers and other forms of electronic waste finally give up the ghost, take them to your nearest recycling centre.  Alternatively, you could choose to work with a reputable e-waste recycling company like Premier Surplus that can provide a wide range of unique e-waste recycling solutions to suit your business needs. Whatever you do, do not throw them into landfill. When electronic waste gets into our oceans it can leak harmful compounds like cadmium, zinc and lead into the environment with disastrous effects on fish and marine plants and mammals. 

With all this in mind, how will you make your business more sustainable in 2020 and beyond?

*This is a collaborative post. For further information please refer to my disclosure page.

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