Are you 100% sure that your business is actually running sustainably? While it’s easy to get in touch with the green side of your business, needless to say, it’s not always as easy as just switching to LED lights or going paperless; there’s more work that goes into these, honestly. So, with that all said, how can you ensure you’re not overlooking anything?
Many environmental impacts can lurk unnoticed in the less obvious corners of your operations. Even if they’re not intentional, they can still have an environmental impact. To truly make a difference, it’s important for businesses to dig deeper and identify these hidden aspects.
So, with that said, here’s how you can conduct a thorough investigation into your business practices to uncover and address these often-overlooked areas.
Start Off with a Comprehensive Audit
So, basically, you’re going to want to start by looking into every layer. So, this should begin with a full environmental audit of your business. Pretty much, this involves looking at all aspects of your operations, from the energy efficiency of your office buildings to the suppliers you choose for your materials. Don’t just stop at the direct actions of your company—consider indirect effects, such as employee commuting patterns or the lifecycle of the products you sell.
You want to get right into the nitty-gritty, as deep as you can go. An audit can help highlight areas that are often overlooked but have significant environmental impacts. You don’t have to do this yourself if you really don’t know where to begin; you can hire an auditor from an agency to get this job done for you.
Engage with Stakeholders
It’s really about gathering different perspectives because what you think might be right might not actually be right. So, just think of it this way: sometimes, being too close to a process can make it hard to spot inefficiencies or hidden impacts. So that’s why engaging with various stakeholders, including employees, customers, and suppliers, can provide new insights into areas where your business could improve its sustainability.
As you already know, stakeholder feedback is invaluable, as these people see different facets of your business operations and might notice things that higher-level analyses might miss.
Use Life Cycle Assessment Software
Many smaller businesses aren’t too familiar with LCA software, but this has such a massive impact! But how exactly could this help you regarding environmental aspects that your company might be overlooking? Well, this technology allows businesses to analyze the environmental footprint of their products or services throughout their entire lifecycle —from raw material extraction through manufacturing, usage, and disposal. It’s pretty wild that something as intricate as this is offered, right?
So, needless to say, LCA software can help identify specific stages where environmental impact is highest, suggesting targeted improvements that are often not apparent. For example, you might discover that the packaging of your product contributes significantly to your carbon footprint, which could shift your strategies towards more sustainable packaging solutions.
If you want to be 100% confident that your business isn’t overlooking anything and that your business can basically be as eco-friendly as possible, then this software can be the answer. Yes, by all means, an auditor will help because technology can’t do as much as the human touch, but this is also a good idea to look into.
It’s All About Continuous Monitoring
Just like what was said above, the human touch is sometimes better, which is why you and your team need to keep a watchful eye out. Also, you must understand that sustainability is not a one-time check but an ongoing commitment. It’s basically forever lasting as long as your business is alive.
So, it will help implement systems for continuously monitoring your environmental impact. Both technologies also have a team or a designated person monitoring this. This can include regular updates on energy consumption, waste production, and water usage. The goal is to quickly spot discrepancies or areas where your environmental impact is creeping up unnoticed.
Keep Striving for Education
Again, if you and your team are not properly educated on sustainability, you might not be aware that you are doing something wrong or even overlooking something. Educating yourself and your employees about sustainability isn’t just about teaching them what to do; it’s about enabling them to spot opportunities for improvement themselves.
Plus, regular training sessions on the latest sustainable practices and how to identify less obvious environmental impacts can turn your workforce into a vigilant, eco-friendly team that’s always looking for ways to reduce your footprint.
AI Might Be the Answer
This basically goes into what was being said earlier: certain software can help when it comes to seeing previously overlooked things. You might not know if something is good or bad for the environment, but AI is trained to know.
AI can optimise routes for logistics to save fuel, predict maintenance to prevent wasteful breakdowns, or even control building climates to conserve energy. This isn’t just about finding small changes, but AI can truly help with large changes, too. But it can still go beyond that, too! It can even analyse large data sets to predict trends and provide insights that are not immediately obvious, allowing you to make proactive, informed decisions that benefit your business and the environment.
It seems over the top, but you have to keep in mind that AI is the future, and many businesses are adopting AI to improve efficiency, save money, and, yes, of course, be sustainable.
Build Up Partnerships that Focus on Environmental Advocacy
Alright, so this one isn’t so much about finding what you might be overlooking in your business as it is about helping others who might be overlooking sustainable practices. Collaborating with local governments, non-profits, or other businesses can amplify your sustainability efforts.
For example, partnerships can lead to shared resources like community recycling programs or joint educational workshops that extend your reach and embed your business deeper into the community’s fabric. Again, it’s about helping others in the community who might be overlooking sustainability. It’s a nice way to get PR, but it also shows your dedication to a better environment.
