10 ways to SOW the seeds to start your business sustainability journey.

Watching the footage of her over the years and that of Sir David Attenborough ( or should I say Sir Sir David Attenborough as he now has two Knighthoods for his work) , these are two people I admire and that may soon not be with us and hence how important it is that we continue their work and legacies.

Sir David Attenborough said ” The truth is; the natural world is changing and we are totally dependant on that world. It provides our food, water and air and it is the most precious thing we have and we have to defend it”

Her Majesty the Queen said at COP 26 ” The time for words has now moved to the time for action”

So what are we all doing?

Sustainability is a HUGE topic and most of us have no idea where to start, but I would urge you to start making small changes with all the buying and lifestyle choices you make. You will be surprised at what you are actually already doing and despite small changes, we can all play our part in saving this beautiful planet that Sir David Attenborough loves so much and with all the footage has given us a unique window onto this planet.

What is sustainability?

►The ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level e.g. “the sustainability of economic growth.”

►The avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance,.e.g. “the pursuit of global environmental sustainability.”

We have all entered this world and seen its beauty, and quite simply we need to leave it as we found it. A bit like a hotel room when we enter it is all well stocked and tidy with a beautiful view and we use its facilities and enjoy the view. Ultimately we are not staying there forever and when we depart, we should leave it as we found it.

What is Corporate Social Responsibility?

►“Corporate Social Responsibility is a management concept whereby companies integrate social and environmental concerns in their business operations and interactions with their stakeholders. “

►“CSR is generally understood as being the way through which a company achieves a balance  of economic, environmental, and social imperatives (“Triple-Bottom-Line-  Approach.”

We hear all the time that the C stands for Corporate but there are uses for the C that means more to others;

►Corporate Social Responsibility (Private Sector) -Large Companies

►Company Social Responsibility (Private Sector) – Sole Traders and SMEs

►Community Social Responsibility (Public Sector) -Local Authorities, Schools, Hospitals, etc

►Charitable Social Responsibility  – Charities

►Consumer Social Responsibility – Products & Services

►Citizen Social Responsibility – Volunteers

However, All of Us are Collectively Social Responsible.

So as a small business what can we really start to do?  there are so many things and here are 10 ways to get you started.

1. Look at your recycling, what are you throwing away and how much plastic are you buying that you need to then recycle. I recently took part in the Big Plastic Count and despite my best recycling efforts the results still surprised me. My results show that the highest % was for food and drink and that means I am still buying this in plastic that I should avoid. My cleaning and toiletries and other plastics were quite low which I was very pleased about. I can still do better and as most plastic is single-use, let’s hope Supermarkets see the results of this survey and reduce the amount of food that has this unnecessary wrapping.
2. Move to a Paperless office/home. This is easy to do but sometimes needs a mindset shift. With the use of Office 365 & Google Suite, people can stop sending emails with attachments and work together online on a spreadsheet or word document. Why has anyone got a paper diary, when we all have our phones in our hands and can update them at the click of a few buttons. Do we need to print everything? no, so cut down on printing and it will save on paper and ink!
3. Unsubscribe to those emails that keep popping into your inbox but you never open or read.
4. Try Digital Note-Taking. I have been using digital notes for some time and 15 months ago I purchased a Remarkable2. This is an amazing tool that feels like you are writing on paper and stores all your notes in one place, with easy access, functionality to share screen and also email and store in the cloud. If you are interested here is a link to find out more and get £40 off.
5. Take your own lunch into work and use leftovers contained in an old takeaway box or container, and invest in a reusable cup and or glass bottle.
6. Shop local where possible using your own bag and avoid online shopping but buy in bulk and also select bulk deliveries and either packaging-free or choose a sustainable option. If possible you could collect items in-store.
7. Reuse any packaging that items have been delivered in such as envelopes and cardboard boxes. Swap bubble wrap for tissue paper and write on the packaging instead of adding tags and sticky labels.
8. Change lightbulbs to LED ones slowly over time and make sure that you switch off all appliances at the end of the day and don’t just leave them in standby mode.
9. Add plants to the office or add to those that are already there, watering them and stimulating cleaner air especially if your office is air-conditioned.
10. Ask all your Clients, Stakeholders, and Suppliers about their sustainable journey, what they are doing, planning and then communicate your journey to them in order to collaborate, educate and monitor each other’s progress.