A study revealed that consumers prefer eco-friendly packaging. Over 80% of survey participants said they think companies must deliver sustainable products. 77% of them claimed plastic is the least environmentally responsible packaging solution.
Sustainability specialists agree that the planet’s climate demands immediate action to prevent catastrophe. The Breakthrough National Centre for Climate Restoration in Melbourne estimated that humankind might face an existential threat in the next 30 years if it doesn’t address the problem. Studies show that people have already become more aware of how sustainable their purchases are.
Being a sustainable organisation and marketing it can give your business a competitive edge by attracting those eco-conscious customers. Market research shows that an eco-conscious demographic is making waves at the moment and is starting a long-term trend. The urgency to prevent a climate crisis encourages Gen-Z and Millennial generations to demand sustainable business practises.
Simply put, there has never been a better time to switch to green business methods and advertise your brand as a sustainable one. Here are some practises that could enable your business to thrive in the socially responsible environment of the present.
Focus on sustainability issues important in your sector
When growing a sustainable brand, the most impactful metrics to exploit are those showing how your business is addressing the most pressing issues in your sector. If you’re running a renewable energy firm, it’s relevant to advertise how you manage food waste and carbon emissions.
Carbon emission management is an impactful subject to discuss, no matter your industry because customers want to see that your company protects fossil fuel reserves and picks renewable solutions to protect the environment. Focusing on the most important social and environmental problems in your sectors enables your brand to differentiate itself from the competition.
Businesses should limit all facets of environmental impact, but advertising those that address a specific issue can attract more customers and help your company stand out in the crowd.
Cut energy use
An effective method to build your business’s green credibility is embracing renewable energy to power your office or plant. Natural gas and coal are the biggest contributors to global warming, so switching to alternative energy sources enables you to build a greener brand and save costs.
Depending on your business’s specific, you need to identify what going green means for your business. Luckily, you can choose from several environmentally friendly solutions that allow your business to minimise its carbon footprint. One way to go green is to use alternative energy sources like solar or wind power. You can also replace old equipment and tools with energy-efficient devices that allow you to save energy. Another solution is to move work applications and accounting to a cloud-based service that saves money on energy costs and improves your company’s bottom line.
Your customers are more aware than ever of the carbon footprint businesses have and are looking out for it when they choose a service provider. If you waste non-renewable resources, they may have second thoughts about turning to your products. Clients nowadays prefer to pay more for sustainable products and services because they want to protect the planet and transform it into a better place for the next generations.
Share your sustainability journey with your audience
Discussions around topics like sustainability tend to get pessimistic given the truth about how climate change could impact humankind in the long run and how little organisations are working to lower put things to rights. Offering your clients straight facts about sustainability issues can grab their attention, but using a bleak advertising tone rarely convinces the public to pick a product. Using inspirational speech and adopting an encouraging approach is more effective in mobilising people.
You can rally your customers by sharing the steps you take to make your business greener. Offer them glimpses of your unique sustainability journey that allow the audience to know the real brand behind their purchase products. Highlight the obstacles you’ve faced along the way and success to inspire other people and companies to step up.
Use your social media channels, newsletter, and events to show clients the strides you’ve taken during your sustainability journey.
Become a green business certified
If you want to be credible in your green business efforts, get certification for your green practises and showcase it in your marketing. In order to get a certification, you need to use recycling equipment, lower the amount of waste you produce, and embrace eco-friendly practises. Using balers for cardboard for example, enables you to recycle packaging that would otherwise end in a landfill after using the supplies it contains. Sustainability certifications come with seals of approval you can incorporate into your website or add to your building, ads, corporate vehicles, or marketing materials.
Showcasing your green business certification supports your credibility to your clients.
Avoid greenwashing in marketing
It’s essential to market your brand’s sustainability to attract the right audience, but make sure you don’t overstate the positive impact it has on the planet. Greenwashing is a method some companies use to mislead or promote unsupported claims about their sustainability. The public can easily detect greenwashing and isn’t afraid to call your company out if it makes false claims. The practice can have detrimental effects on your business’ reputation.
You can avoid greenwashing in your marketing by collaborating with eco-friendly suppliers and third parties, ensuring your suppliers embrace ethical and sustainable operations, providing evidence to support your claims, making data available to the public, earning a green business certification, and working to make sustainable central all business operations.
Final words
No matter your sector of operations, your commitment to sustainability can help you capture green customers. As stated before, people are willing to pay more for services and products from providers committed to social responsibility. More and more people are aware of the sustainability issues the planet is facing. Use the above recommendations to demonstrate that you’re a green business that works to develop a sustainable economy.
