50% of consumers said sustainability is certainly one of their top 4 priorities when purchasing services or products, highlighting why your brand should drive towards a more sustainable future.
Sustainability is about having the ability to exist and develop without compromising future generations. There are three major pillars of sustainability:
- Environmental sustainability is protecting the environment and conserving natural resources with current and future generations in mind.
- Social sustainability is actively supporting current and future generations by creating livable, healthy, fair, and diverse communities.
- Economic sustainability is the power to support long-term economic growth without adversely impacting the social, environmental, and cultural features of a community.
(*5*)
The common thought is that sustainability is a buzzword arising from the green movement that has taken over almost every market. But when it comes to branding, it’s broader than that. Sustainability involves constructing your brand with marketing, branding and producing practices which are geared toward the long run.
Zaheer Dodhia, CEO of Logo Design
A sustainable brand balances making a profit with having values, akin to reducing environmental impact and paying employees fairly. From your organization name and logo to your missions and values, your brand is how people differentiate you out of your competitors.
Let’s take a take a look at five ways you may show eco-conscious consumers that your brand is serious about sustainability in 2024 and beyond:
Become A Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who donates resources—akin to time, money, and expertise—to a specific cause or charity to enhance the lives of others. These causes include education, healthcare, the environment, and humanities and culture.
In corporate philanthropy, a business can provide back to the world by donating to and dealing with charities or causes that promote social change, improve lives, and protect the planet.
Other than aiding a more sustainable future, listed here are some more benefits of corporate philanthropy:
- Attracting and retaining customers. 56% of persons are more inclined to purchase services or products from a business that donates to charitable causes.
- Attracting and retaining employees. 47% say they’d be more willing to work for a business if it donates to charitable causes.
Corporate philanthropy also includes encouraging volunteerism amongst your employees. Consider providing paid day off for workers who want to volunteer or organise a company-wide day of volunteering.
Source
Educate Your Employees
Your employees have to be educated and enthused about sustainability and made aware of your goals to support you effectively.
Here are some ways to teach your employees on sustainability:
- You can host monthly or quarterly meetings to debate sustainability-related topics.
- You could make latest employees watch sustainability videos or take part in relevant online training throughout onboarding.
- You can put aside a budget that permits employees to attend sustainability conferences.
It is important for workers, particularly those that are customer-facing, to know what they’re talking about regarding sustainable business practices and the materials or ingredients utilized in your products.
Educated employees will make a a lot better impression on eco-conscious customers who may query your brand’s sustainability efforts.
Be Transparent
Brands are encouraged to release relevant updates and transparent details about their business practices and the materials used for his or her products.
However, as consumers turn into more aware of corporate sustainability, they may only consider claims with the numbers and proof to back them up.
In 2018, 1000’s of Amazon employees wrote an open letter to Jeff Bezos and the board of directors, criticising the corporate’s lack of transparency and pushing them to release its carbon emissions report – something the corporate is now consistently transparent about.
Source
Consider including sustainability and carbon emissions reports in your website, and be transparent in regards to the materials or ingredients utilized in your products. Only 28% of consumers trust large corporations to create genuinely sustainable products.
Platforms like SmartHead simplify Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) reporting. Consider using this to create and track a listing of your brand’s sustainability goals. You can then attach documents that may function proof to the general public.
Advocate For Sustainability
To advocate for sustainability and motivate others, your brand must lead by example. Your brand’s behaviours, actions, and decisions throughout all business operations must exhibit your vision for sustainability.
Henry Love, CEO of Composable Foundation, explains that you should have a transparent vision as a way to advocate for sustainability. He wrote: “From my experience, to effectively advocate for sustainability in our industry and society, one must first define a compelling vision.
“This vision, deeply rooted in our core values, mission, and purpose, shouldn’t only meet the expectations of stakeholders but in addition be realistic, measurable, and adaptable. I feel a transparent vision is the cornerstone of sustainable advocacy, inspiring teams and rallying support.”
To advocate for policies that promote sustainability, consider collaborating with others who share your vision, values, and goals for a sustainable future.
You can further enhance your sustainability efforts by sharing information and knowledge with those with different expertise and resources.
Implement Responsible Practices
Hostinger’s eCommerce statistics state that one in three web shoppers prioritise sustainable brands. This highlights how responsible business practices may also help construct and strengthen relationships with consumers, generating the next return on investment (ROI) over time.
Not only will you attract more customers, but responsible business practices can enhance company performance and have a positive impact on business operations by managing risks more efficiently.
Consider implementing responsible practices that may enable you to achieve your goals, akin to:
- Source responsible materials, akin to recycled materials or lower-emitting products.
- Ensure your partners follow fair labour practices, akin to disavowing child labour or embracing fair-trade agreements.
- Reduce your consumption of natural resources by rethinking your packaging or implementing a recycling program, each of which reduce waste.
- Reduce carbon emissions by installing smart sensors that mechanically shut off heating, cooling, and electricity in your facilities when needed.
- Reduce your carbon footprint by switching to a green website hosting provider. This not only supports a sustainable future, but improves website performance.
- Reduce transportation-related emissions by moving the production of physical goods closer to the tip customer.
- Switch to renewable energy sources like solar, geothermal, or wind power.
Starbucks is a wonderful example of a sustainable brand. It has began designing stores with a more eco-conscious design, focused on improving its packaging, reduced waste by promoting reusable cups, and invested in green energy to power its stores.
Source
Conclusion
Sustainability will not be only a buzzword – it’s a necessity in 2024 and beyond.
Consumers are rather more aware of what brands are doing. This has inspired many firms to turn into more sustainable in every part they do, from recycling materials and reducing waste to paying fair wages and donating to charitable causes.
In fact, 75% of leaders said their organisations had already increased their investments towards a sustainable future up to now yr. Will you be next?
Read the total article here
