If you’re one of the many businesses that have been making an effort to go green over the past years, it’s only natural that you might want to reap the benefits of making such a commitment. One of those credentials is the kind of goodwill from customers who are willing to go the extra mile to support businesses that share their values. However, much of the work that businesses do to be less wasteful and more mindful of their impact on the world is, frankly speaking, invisible.
Here, we’re going to look at some of the ways you can change the perception of your business, show off those green credentials, and get the credit that you should be.
Go green with your packaging
If your business sells products, then one of the easiest ways (if not the cheapest way) to show your customer your commitment to green principles is to do it with the very products you sell. You might not be able to easily change what materials you use in the products themselves. But you might be able to change the packaging that you use for them. There are plenty of green packaging suppliers that you could look into working with. You might even find options that are better suited to storing your products than what you’re currently using or are more economic. Either way, you can definitely do a lot to reduce the waste that comes with purchasing your goods.
Go green with the building
If your business premises routinely see customers, clients, and partners stepping through your doors, then what is a better way to communicate your green values than through the very office itself? Aside from having the expected eco-friendly additions, such as recycling bins and LED lights, you can also look at greener ways to style your office. Making more use of natural materials such as timber acoustic panels instead of less sustainable materials is going to give off the impression of a greener company, for instance. You don’t necessarily need to drill this point into the head of your visitors. But a more natural-looking office is going to subtly communicate that to them all the same.
Get involved in green causes
Aside from the changes you can make in the business that faces your customer, you can also make good use of the partnerships that you build in your community. In particular, you should look at building partnerships with green causes, charities, and nonprofit organizations, lending your efforts and resources, where possible, to help them protect the local environment or reduce waste. Cause marketing can help you make even better use of these efforts, getting your customers involved and broadcasting to the world the values of your business. Of course, you should make sure that you actually put in the effort, rather than just marketing the effort.
Of course, to benefit from your green credentials, you need to make a real investment into green business. A cursory effort is easily exposed as just that.
