Business is no longer just about profit generation or plain long-term sustenance. Nowadays, many enterprises, including the small and medium scale ones, genuinely express their concern for the environment and society at large and consequently create sustainability projects. Consumers more likely patronize environmentally- and socially-conscious companies. Increased patronage translates to increased sales.
Yet the capacity to craft sustainability strategy is as relevant as the capacity to maintain it. While the intention is noble, small entrepreneurs are sometimes forced to discard the proposed or the initially launched business sustainability projects because of budget constraints or project mismanagement. But this should not be the case. There are many ways to maintain and even improve the sustainable projects over the long run.
Define sustainability the right way.
Small entrepreneurs, carried away by the ongoing go-green and go-social trends, may hastily jump into the available social or environmental project. A shipping company, for example, should not just engage in a feeding program for children only because the rival company has held a successful feeding activity for the undernourished. While this is a great initiative, a sustainability program should at least be aligned with the business operations or the company core values. After all, sustainability is relative. It can mean reduction of plastic containers and it can also refer to less CO2 emission and more education programs for the local residents. A shipping company, therefore, can be better off raising coastal or roadside cleanups and a long-term ocean protection campaign. This is a more practical approach to maintaining a sustainability project. Since it is closer to the nature of the business, it becomes more of a natural response to the environmental need, rather than an obligation or an added expense.
Scale your project.
Sustainability projects do not need to be grand; they only have to be effective. In other words, there is no right scope for a sustainability project. For small entrepreneurs, scaling the project to a level that is financially and operationally doable would be a good move. As mentioned, sustainable measures hinged on the company core values or operations are ideal because they translate to a convenient application. For instance, a distribution company can monitor their monthly or yearly consumption of fuel and adopt new strategies to reduce the previous month’s or year’s average consumption. In Melbourne, many start-ups and small to medium enterprises choose to outsource the distribution of their goods via logistics companies. This is not only cost-effective but also environmentally friendly, contributing to less carbon footprint.
Over time as the business expands, sustainability projects also expand. There will even come a time when a person entirely dedicated to the sustainability aspect of the business is already needed. Indeed, the key here is to think big, yet start small.
Keep a baseline.
Business owners can easily get lost in the process of creating significant changes for the society. This is why keeping a baseline data and setting a deadline will prove to be extremely useful. Knowing how many tons of plastics had been recycled since the start of the project or liters of gasoline saved since the shift to outsourced distribution companies will increase the motivation of small entrepreneurs. While not everything can be quantified (e.g., the joy in a child’s heart after completing a scholarship raised by your company), it is still best to impose quantitative measures even as supplementary data so as to measure productivity.
Be creative with concepts.
There are many ways for a business to be environmentally- or socially-engaged. The sky is definitely the limit when it comes to sustainable concepts. A consulting firm can raise free livelihood seminars. A furniture company can plant trees. A shopping center can shift to biodegradable plastics or introduce eco-friendly bags. And the great news is that the sustainability measure does not have to incur costs. A business can conduct a fund-raising campaign for a cancer patient and it already is a social cause which the customers will advocate.
Connect to the audience.
Informing the public about the social projects undertaken by the company is more than just publicity. It is about employer branding, which is critical to business growth. With the advent of digital technology, small entrepreneurs are now presented with several options that have a wider reach and fewer costs. Social media platforms are perfect avenues for free advertising. Sustainability projects, after all, are also informational campaigns. The market needs to understand why the enterprise is promoting such advocacy, what its vision is, how it relates to the business, and how the expected changes benefit them as consumers.
Indeed, in a highly competitive market, a firm’s sustainability measures can become sources of advantage. They could even be the drivers of growth for small entrepreneurs as consumer preferences are also leaning towards environmental and social consciousness.
About the author:
Jordan Packer is the Operation Manager of Effective Logistics – a reputable logistics company in Melbourne. He has extensive experience in warehousing, transports, and logistics for more than a decade. With many years of experience, he has a depth of understanding every company’s logistics needs. Check out their website – https://www.efflog.com.au/ to know more.