What The Sustainability Movement Means for Business

Sustainability has moved on from being a buzzword to a way of life for many businesses. And rather than being viewed as something nice to aspire to, the consumer climate has changed irrevocably over the last number of years and if you don’t have a sustainable plan in 2020, you’re being left behind. 

If you have ever wondered what being a sustainable business means, there are lots to consider when deciding what to focus on. And rest assured, business and sustainability can happily coexist. Sustainability is becoming essential for businesses across all sectors - 62% of executives consider a sustainability strategy necessary to be competitive today, while an additional 22% think it will be in the future. The benefits of taking sustainability seriously are numerous, helping companies maintain a competitive edge over their competitors, acting responsibly and gaining customers trust and goodwill longterm. Simply put, businesses can’t afford to not have a sustainability strategy. 

As time moves on, the expectation of businesses to act with corporate responsibility increases, so it serves your organisation well to be ahead of the curve when it comes to sustainability. Good intentions and big talk are no longer enough, consumers have become savvy and are more than capable of spotting green-washing when they see it. Customers want real efforts taken, with tangible results. 

Depending on your business model, the main areas to focus on are 

1 - Reducing Waste. This can apply to packaging, office consumables and product offering. 

2 - Pollution Reduction. From how you produce your goods to the energy your office consumes, take an overall look at your business practice and see where you can make improvements. 

3 - Water Conservation. This applies to your manufacturing processes down to water waste in your place of work. 

4 - Using Sustainable Materials. If your business produces product, ensure you’re using the greenest option available. 

5 - Offer green options. Make things as easy as possible for your customer. they want to do the right thing and you are there to assist them and make the choice an easy one. 

6 - Giving Back. How is your business making positive steps towards a greener future? 

An excellent example of an Irish brand encompassing these values is coffee brand Frank and Honest. They are leaders in their field, being the first major retailer to adopt fully recyclable coffee cups. Sustainability is at the core of their operations, with activations like their very successful Plant a Tree Christmas campaign having real meaning and impact for their consumers. Conscious consumerism is high on their agenda and they have made this a core belief of their business.

Their efforts show that sustainability isn’t just an issue for small independents to focus on, done properly big businesses can incorporate responsible practices in their model. 

Although, there are some fantastic smaller independent brands doing a stellar job. The Kind, a zero-waste, Dublin based lifestyle store has cornered the market in relatively short space of time. The Kind have focussed their offering on beautiful sustainable products that embody conscious consumerism, while not losing out on style. This approach has amassed a huge consumer base who care about style as much a substance, proving the sustainable minded customer is now everyone and not just those who live a zero-waste lifestyle. 

At Hunter, we work with our clients to ensure that within their business model, they’re making the right moves towards a sustainable future. This extends to our press drops and releases. We work with a steady stream of sustainably focussed content creators who believe in what they’re selling and help deliver the brand’s messages in an authentic manner that consumers relate to. 

When adopting sustainable practices, transparency is key. It’s important to be aware that today’s consumers are hyper-aware of what they’re buying and the story behind each brand. Nobody is perfect but if your businesses making real efforts to combat the problem and are bringing your customer on the journey, it will benefit you both in the long run.