So You’re Transitioning to be an Eco-Business, Now What?
In the last few years the uptick in businesses either offering an ‘eco-friendlier product line’ has been on the rise.
According to this article by Katherine White, David J. Hardisty, and Rishad Habib in the Harvard Business Review “Consumers—particularly Millennials—increasingly say they want brands that embrace purpose and sustainability.”
So it’s no wonder why large corporations who didn’t necessarily have social or environmental mandates from the beginning, they’re not making efforts to transition. Whether or not they’re doing it because it’s the right thing to do or just tailoring to consumer behaviours is a whole other story.
My point is that these organizations have set targets to become: ‘carbon neutral,’ ‘reduce carbon emissions by X date,’ or are making efforts to change their supply chain.
And what I absolutely love about these statements, commitments and goals is that Climate Change is on their radar. In fact, I am seeing more and more of these conglomerates hiring a Chief Sustainability Officer or some sort of Sustainability Expert to be on their team.
It’s SO wonderful to see changes and the intentions being set. I just always wonder how effective these efforts really are. What actions are actually taking place behind-the-scenes, outside of these grand public statements and goals?
After speaking with several companies, I realized that there’s a disconnect between what a company is doing operationally (e.g. supply chain) and their staff! How eco-friendly or green is your business, if you’re still ordering office supplies wrapped in plastic, your employees all drive to work and bring their daily java in disposable cups. Not truly eco-friendly now are we?
There is absolutely NO shame to be had about this. Going from a non-eco focused company to being one is going to take time. You’re in a transition period. It will take time to slowly get all of your employees to buy-into the new company values. But how exactly can you do this?
From your public statements and goals, together with your staff you need to develop an action plan so that each individual knows what changes they can begin to make in their roles. At Eco-Friendly Events, we offer a Custom Sustainability Program for our corporate clients to bridge that gap between the Corporation’s Sustainability Goals and Commitments with their staff. Contact Us to learn more about the Custom Sustainability Program and if it’s the right fit for your organization!