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Why Sustainability Should Be a Part of Your Story

I don’t think I could be writing this blog at a better time.  When the planet was crying out for a break from humanity’s destructive ways, Covid-19 reared its ugly head, forcing us to stop what we were doing and rethink the way that we go about our daily lives.  Whew – perfect timing!  It always amazes me how nature always forces its hand when it matters the most. 

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As a business, Green Office’s mandate has always been to make other businesses more efficient and sustainable.  Why?  We have a passion for helping other businesses drive down their costs associated with print, and we genuinely care about reducing print waste and uplifting members of the disabled community. This has been our mission since Day One.

Have a look at our CSI, Green ABLE, by clicking on the below video.

 

What is your business’s reason for being?  What is your business’s “WHY”?  When thinking about being a sustainable business, this should be the first question that should be explored.  Being sustainable is not about putting together mindless sustainability strategies, policies and plans – because if your business’s focus isn’t on creating a better world then all of those don’t matter.  Asking yourself “why” you want to be better requires that you examine why your business exists in the first place.   

When discussing sustainability with our clients, the most common question we are faced with is “how will being sustainable benefit me”?  We usually ramble off the well-known benefits such as improved operational efficiencies, reduced operational costs, improved branding – the list goes on.  However, I believe the answer is much simpler than that – businesses have a responsibility to shift towards a more sustainable future, and that shift needs to happen now.

Although 2019 was positive in that more companies were interested in becoming more sustainable, the urgency was lacking as people struggled to visualize what living in a more difficult world would look like. 

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The Covid-19 pandemic has given us a startling peek into what living in world ravaged by climate change would look like – limited food supplies, fights in the supermarket, panic buying and stockpiling… and fear.  It goes without saying that our most vulnerable people have suffered the most.  We now know how quickly our situation can change, and how important it is to be urgently proactive in trying times such as these.  The pandemic has also resulted in the realization of what is important to us – family, healthy food, clean air and water, and access to nature.  Most people are thinking along the lines of supporting local business and products post Covid-19, in my opinion this is long overdue.  

In a nutshell, the world needs concepts such as One Planet Living (living healthy and happy lives within the means of our planet) now more than ever, and any business who doesn’t prioritize this need will be left behind.

I challenge you to ask yourself the following:

  • What is my business’s reason for being?
  • Does my business’s products or services help my customers live happy and healthy lives?
  • Are my products truly kind to the environment – can they be easily recycled, where do we source our supplies?
  • Can my business source 90% of its supplies from local businesses?
  • Am I inspiring my customers to care for the environment?

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The answers to these questions are what shapes your unique sustainability story, and we all want to read it.

Looking for ways to becoming more sustainable within your business? We can help. Why not have our Sustainability Consultant contact you to discuss our various Sustainability Consulting services available?

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