A topic of conversation which has dominated the news, especially in recent years, has been the subject of climate change. There is a rising number of people becoming increasingly concerned regarding their impact on the environment. As such, many of implementing changes in their daily lives to reduce their carbon footprint. From using more sustainable products to implementing energy-efficient devices into the home, individuals are making small changes to their lives to help in the fight against climate change.
Whilst these changes are more personal and affect the lives of the individual implementing them, many are looking at what businesses, both small and large, are doing to help reduce their carbon footprint.
Despite being a difficult situation, environmental issues also present opportunities for businesses to take initiative and show both their employees and the market where they stand and what are willing to do to help reduce their carbon footprint.
Regardless of what industry your business operates within, there are various ways in which the environment could impact the way you work. This includes being more conscious about the amount of paper that you use, the vehicles that you have on the roads and how you protect plants and wildlife. Here are a few ways how the environment can have an impact on your business.
Can Influence Property Development And Planning
Businesses that work in property development, in particular those in planning, frequently have to consider their impact on the environment. One of the main factors is the location of a property development project. Usually, there are various factors to consider, including timeframes, obtaining planning permission, the impact on neighbours and also nature and wildlife surrounding the area.
When looking to building or renovating a property, developers need to take into consideration how the environment around the area, such as the trees, could impact their progress. Many invest in a tree survey to see if their development could affect trees and vegetation close by. Investing in tree surveys provided by Arbtech, for instance, are an excellent way for developers to see if their project could be damaging to the surrounding environment.
Aside from the effective planning and development could have on the nearby nature and wildlife, ensuring that projects are completed as environmentally friendly as possible. This includes creating more sustainable living, that features energy-efficient devices installed, waste reduction and climate-friendly purchasing.
Boost Businesses Efficiency
Implementing a sustainable strategy can help to reduce costs substantially and can affect operating profits. It also helps to lower energy consumption and water intake. By incorporating sustainability into business units, it can help to increase a firm’s chance of profiting from its sustainability activities, as well as allow them to be transparent about its sustainable activities to both consumers and potential employees.
Alongside this, being a sustainable business can also improve a firms’ relations with the government and the local community. There is also the bonus of potentially receiving company tax incentives and subsidies as a result of being environmentally conscious.
One Step Ahead Of Complying With Regulations
The conversation around climate change is constantly intensifying, with the fight becoming increasingly more crucial. With the decline in energy resources and the environmental impact, the government is starting to take action and enacting regulations to help protect the environment.
By integrating sustainability into your business sooner rather than later, means that your business is one step ahead of your competitors. This means that you can meet changing regulations with little hassle. Being on top of the latest developments in a sustainable way of working, you can ensure that your company is always ready for the changes in regulations.
Taking Environmental Action Can Be Marketable
The rise in demands by consumers for more sustainable products and ways of working is an opportunity for businesses to focus on environmental issues. An increasing number of consumers are looking to work with companies that have a strong positive environmental mission, that aligns itself with their values. If you can prove to potential consumers how you are playing your role in the fight against climate change, whilst also providing excellent service, you may open the door to a wave of new clients.
Attractive To New Talent
However, it is not just consumers that are looking to work with environmentally conscious brands. A sustainable business can also be attractive to talent. There is a rising number of young, talented individuals who have accepted jobs due to the company’s sustainability and ethos towards the environment. Some are even willing to take a pay cut if it means they can work for an environmentally responsible company. As young people are predominantly the largest workforce, if a business does not have a sustainable strategy implemented in their company, it could allow them to lose out on attracting talented individuals.
Another benefit of having a sustainable strategy implemented is that employees might be more motivated to work. This is because they see the great value in what their company is doing to create a more environmentally friendly environment.
Aside from consumers and employees, a business that boasts a sustainable strategy can also capture the interest of investors. If you can show your business is respectful towards both the environment and its employees, you can attract a vast calibre of people who might invest funds into your business needed to help it expand.
Becoming more aware of how the environment can impact a business and how firms respond to being more environmentally friendly, is initially going to be costly to companies. Sustainable resources and materials can be quite costly, which can be slightly off-putting. Despite this, numerous benefits come from being more environmentally conscious. By implementing more sustainable features, whilst it might be a setback to start with, can help your business to save a significant amount over time.
Although the environment can affect how a business progresses, such as with planning to build a property, firms can also equally impact the environment. Ultimately, the main benefit of being more environmentally aware is that you reduce your firm’s carbon footprint.