6 Easy Ways to Make Your Brand More Sustainable Today
Want to win the hearts of eco-conscious consumers and reduce your operating costs? Read on for six little ways your brand can make a bigger impact on our planet, your people, and your customers today.
Give Green
The best sustainability efforts start internally. Apple has given employees company-branded water bottles to reduce single-use plastic since 2014. Little gestures, such as giving bus passes, bike-share memberships and days off to plant trees or clean beaches (like Stanley’s Global Coastal Cleanup) help unite teams and see it IS easy being green.
2. Make Easy Upgrades
Energy audits help identify opportunities to save energy and reduce operating costs with easy upgrades to LED lighting, smart panel strips, low-flow faucets, efficient appliances and more. Unilever’s quest to switch to all renewables by 2030 includes regular audits, known to save them up to 20% in energy costs.
4. Reclaim Reusables
More than 60% of consumers say they’d pay for more for sustainable packaging. Spark customer engagement by joining the circular economy like Starbucks who plan to replace single-use cups with mugs by 2025, and Hear Me Raw who uses 86% less packaging than other beauty brands with refillable pods.
3. Extend Product Life Cycles
Patagonia’s daring “Don’t Buy This Jacket” campaign prompted many brands to ensure they’re “build to last.” Brompton offers spare parts to repair, instead of replace bikes, while Independent Power only installs premium solar panels proven to produce up to 60% more energy than conventional with a 25-year warranty.
5. Join Forces
Partnering with non-profits is another easy way to solve complex problems and align with other forward-thinking businesses around the globe. Intelligence platform, Datassential, aligns with Food for Climate League to promote climate-smart foods, while Big Red F’s Jax Fish House partners with Zero Food Print to support regenerative farming projects.
5. Electrify Everything
Brands can quickly reduce carbon emissions and operating costs by transitioning from traditional fossil fuels to solar and electric alternatives. Chipotle is building all-electric stores to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 across 3,200 locations. And up-and-coming brands like Legacy Pie Co. are trading gas for electric ovens to cut energy costs by up to 30%.