By Celsias
Posted on Oct. 12, 2012. Listed in:
- Authentic sustainability is hardwired into the future planning of the business andacross both internal and external touch points.
- Tell your story
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- The issue of sustainability is important, and people want to know more about what businesses are doing – share your journey and experiences, invite them in. Keep it simple, honest, transparent, and don’t greenwash or overstate your credentials.
- Be a leader
- Sustainable businesses are successful businesses – innovative, clever, efficient and profitable, as well as minimising their footprint. Consumers are looking for leaders to show the way.
- Make it positive
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- A focus on positives and rewarding good behaviour is more motivating and
appealing than highlighting the negatives – 70 per cent of consumers say they have a better opinion of businesses that reward customers for choosing sustainable options with discounts or special benefits.
- A focus on positives and rewarding good behaviour is more motivating and
- Make it easy and cost neutral
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- Find out what your target customers value, then do it cheaper, easier, better. Add sustainability on top and it’s a no brainer. 79 per cent say they are prepared to play their part and do the right thing – as long as it is easy and does not cost them more.
- Photos courtesy of Bigstock.com
I would have thought that generally it costs more to incorporate sustainable practices into a business model so how can you provide the sustainable option at the same price as a sweat shop, unsustainably produced product. The reality of the situation is that 'doing the right thing' often costs more. paying people a real living wage, not taking short cuts in health and safety with a labour force, using recycled material or non conflict resources in your production process. All these mean increased production costs. Buying a T-shirt for $5 at the Warehouse must mean that someone and most likely the environment got shafted along the way.
Written in October 2012