What are your Green Credentials?

Not sure? Not certain that it makes a difference to you? Well, how wrong you are. As most of us already know, good business is usually hidden somewhere within the smaller details – captured, say, in the fine print. And great business is; well, great business is having no need to hide the small print in the first place.

More and more organisations recognise this way of thinking and are addressing their areas of waste and loss in a business-world obsessed with all types of economy. And, usually, the most ’sustainable’ types of businesses are not looking at these areas as potential threats to up-and-coming clients; but instead they see them as clear opportunities to display their micro- and macro-management skills.

In today’s ever-green market even the once ignored Environmental Policy has now become a perfect platform to demonstrate a social and economic awareness to and beyond your targeted business clients.

What is an Environmental Policy?

Any policy statement a business prescribes sets the expectations of their consumers and outlines the performance of the company within that given area. An Environmental Policy is no different. It will (through a synthesis of various guarantees, legislation, goals, targets and forecasts) seek to exhibit its practised relationship with the surrounding environment by detailing company policy.

The policies will vary according to different businesses within different sectors. However, their targets will undoubtedly remain the same: to attempt to run a carbon neutral organisation, where possible; and look to improve the quality of life for its associates and stakeholders.

For instance, a small independent retail store selling Fair Trade clothing and gifts may deem it necessary to implement strict recycling and commercial waste policies, as well as sourcing and supporting Indian trade and educational schemes, etc. And this, we would expect, should be only the start of the matter. So, imagine if such policies were not in place for a business like this one. Would be take our business there? Or would this negligent (and perhaps ignorant) business behaviour dissuade us and cause any consumer to question the true meaning of their brand and the organisations total integrity as a whole?
As you can see, in any given context, the small details do matter.

What can be done to help?

For starters: learn. There are hundreds of books, courses, websites, local governmental schemes designed to encourage you and your business to think Green. Nobody’s expecting you to wake up tomorrow morning to find that you’ve discovered that you’re a wiz in the environmental biz. So, teach yourself; take the guidance available for you and your business’ community.

Meanwhile, here are a few tips to help unveil those carbon grey areas and get you started on running a profitable business through your gleaming environmental policy:

• Turn power supplies OFF; make sure taps are OFF (one drop wasted per second wastes 10,000 litres per year)
• The Three R‘s: Reduce, Re-use, Recycle
• Choose suppliers who take back packaging
• How Green is your Energy Supplier: changing energy tariffs can be one of the most effective ways to improve on your carbon footprint – click on the ecotricity link below to find out more

As you can see, there are some great ways to turn OFF those bad business habits and make a few necessary switches – without having to go inspect your strategies with a fine-tooth-comb.