What steps is your business taking to be more environmentally friendly? It’s a simple question but can often leave corporate types scratching their heads.
With online sales booming since the pandemic, digital retailers, particularly, are a point of focus, with newer industries under scrutiny in the hope they become bastions of real progress.
Many businesses are taking note, with a recent survey by recruitment firm Hays finding a third (33%) of UK firms now having a dedicated sustainability team or individual.
Simply, consumers are showing they are now more likely to stay loyal with brands that make sustainability a priority. Here are five easy changes for business owners to consider.
Repurpose and re-use
Rather than expecting your customers to recycle your products when they’ve served their purpose, can your business take the lead?
Apple is one of the biggest brands to implement this strategy – post your old phone back to the group in the box provided and receive money off your new one. Levi’s offers money off new clothes if you return used items, while the British clothes brand Seasalt gives customers the option to return used items to selected shops, ensuring garments get a second life.â¯
Be open about your supply chain and carbon footprint
It’s never been more important to be transparent about your business practices. Customers want to know where products come from, where they are made, and the ingredients used. Are they produced in the most sustainable way and are the people making them being paid a living wage?
If anything, eco-friendly businesses are in the spotlight – think Tony’s Chocolonely and Karma Cola, both of which were built on fair business and longevity in mind.
The dog food brand Different Dog is another example. Not only does it fund sustainable energy projects across the world, it uses locally sourced food where possible and, the packaging is home compostable.
Tell your customers what you are doing to measure your carbon output and reduce or offset it - and see positivity around your brand grow. And yes, cost is a burden, and not all consumers want to pay more, but it’s little steps that make a difference.
Cut back on deliveries
If you want to build up a business, cutting back on the number of deliveries is the worst thing to do, right? Wrong!
More digital businesses are giving customers the option of longer delivery times at checkout so retailers can send separate deliveries together, while doing their bit for the planet.
Brands including Screwfix and Ikea also offer numerous click-and-collect options, while John Lewis gives customers the choice of picking up items from selected garden centres, cutting down on the number of home deliveries and transportation costs.
Renting is all the rage
Consumers think nothing of hiring a tuxedo for a special occasion, or renting a film from Amazon, rather than buying it. Now, many retailers are opening this up to other markets.
At John Lewis, you can rent accessories and clothing from £7 for up to 20 days - and items arrive with a return bag to send back. Marks & Spencer debuted its autumn/winter collection on rental platform Hirestreet last year.
Could clothes rental grow further and be the next big thing?
Make packaging a priority
Around 4.2 billion packages were delivered in the UK in 2020/21 –1.3 billion parcels more than the year before. Now, many environmentally conscious companies are ensuring their packaging methods are greener.
Digital cosmetics brand Adore has used warehouse management software to find the dimensions and weights of its products and ensure the smallest box is used with each order. Digital retailers using LimeLoop give consumers the option of items being sent in used packaging, meanwhile.
With climate change top of the global agenda, its vital digital retailers and businesses take note. Whether you are a small start-up, or medium to large-size outfit, sustainability must become a priority, and customers are demanding greater choice.
Make the big changes that will make a real difference. Be an environmental digital leader and reap the benefits in the long-term.
