Studies show that 36% of consumers now actively factor in environmental impact when choosing brands. But, saying that you’re an eco-conscious brand isn’t always enough to appeal to that audience, even if you think it’s a genuine claim. Countless companies have fallen foul to increasingly switched-on eco-consumers who identify cracks in their sustainability claims. Building genuine trust therefore means treating eco-conscious business as more than a buzzword.
True sustainability in business requires far-reaching, deep-seated change and actions, taken with specific environmental concerns in mind. And, you can bet that modern consumers will check up on whether or not you’re delivering on those goals. So, how can you make sure that they like what they find when they start looking at your sustainability?
# 1 – Consider the big picture
Efforts taken towards sustainability at the moment are all well and good, but with climate change requiring long-lasting changes, taking too narrow a view will ultimately have little impact on overall environmental influence.
To claim true brand sustainability, you therefore need to take a big-picture view of everything from your processes to your products and beyond. For instance, developing genuinely carbon-neutral processes that you know will last can make a huge difference now and moving forward. Equally, seeking something like a life cycle assessment for your products, store furnishings, and beyond, ensures that, as well as immediate efforts towards sustainability like recycled materials, the things you’re using do as little environmental damage as possible in the long run. Only then can you proudly claim to be a sustainable brand with no skeletons in your closet.
# 2 – Hold your suppliers accountable
Often, so-called sustainable brands come under fire due to openly unsustainable suppliers or partners. It’s important not to underestimate how much these bad associations can damage consumer impressions, especially if you’ve made sustainability a major brand talking point.
To truly build trust in the good that your brand’s trying to do, you should go above and beyond to seek suppliers who always fit within your eco-concerns. This may mean seeking carbon-neutral businesses as suppliers, or even suppliers who practise wide-scale recycling initiatives, or only working with suppliers that you can discuss options with when it comes to things like refitting, junk removal costs (sometimes junk removal with recycling can cost more), even your internet can be green – make sure that you are taking a 360 approach to a greener business. Increasingly, it’s also important to think about the connections of your suppliers, and whether or not the other brands that they work with are causing environmental damage that could lead to backlash.
# 3 – Practise what you preach
True sustainability means practising what you preach in your business and your personal life. Aside from just worrying about what’s happening in your factories or offices, this means getting involved in community projects, joining local environmental rallies, and donating to climate-conscious charities.
Even in your private life, make sure that you’re following those eco-conscious concerns where you can. Simple things, like association outside of work with sustainable charities and groups, are going to prove that you really do care, and that eco-conscious business is way more than just a trend.
Doing your bit is always admirable, but remember that real change in business and beyond should always be about more than just the latest buzzword!