Doing business with a conscience.
The consumer mentality has evolved significantly over the last decade. Armed with much more accessible information a click away, consumers come to market with a raised awareness of what they are buying and who they are buying from. In order for a business to be successful in the twenty twenty’s it is going to have to become more socially aware and do its part. Gone are the days where a big corporation can sweep a misdemeanour or bad practice under the rug and continue on with business as usual. Reputations can be destroyed in seconds these days with social media. And with a much more informed consumer there is now far more of an awareness around which products and services we vote for with our hard earned cash.
“The future will be green, or not at all.”
What is ‘conscious business’?
A values based approach to a businesses actions and outcomes that are to the benefit of the planet and its inhabitants. Be it, socially, environmentally or both.
Conscious consumerism, conscious capitalism and socially responsible investing are just a few ideologies that have begun emerging amongst societies across the globe of late.
In order for a business to take the steps in becoming socially conscious, they must first understand what the fundamentals are:
Do no harm. The product/service should not hurt or harm humans or the environment.
Triple Bottom Line Model - People, Planet, Profits.
Ecological footprint
Fair Trade - not exploiting
The singular mentality
This is a common thing I hear from a more individual level but can also be applied to business. “I’m only one person.. I doubt me going to all this effort (using less plastic, recycling, using less energy, eating less meat) will make any kind of difference”?
“Be the change you wish to see in the world” a quote roughly associated with Mahatma Gandhi has had a profound impact on how people view their own personal contribution to the greater good. The more accurate and detailed version of this quote goes as follows;
"We but mirror the world. All the tendencies present in the outer world are to be found in the world of our body. If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. This is the divine mystery supreme. A wonderful thing it is and the source of our happiness. We need not wait to see what others do.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi
With change comes challenge
Well established businesses tend to have a well engrained way of running their day-to-day business not to mention also a general way of thinking which can sometimes cause push back to any significant change. This resistance can even get in the way of social and environmental progress. It makes sense right? We can hear stakeholders screaming from here… “This change can’t bring in more profit’s, if anything it is just going to cost us more to integrate into our business?” And yes in many instances this is true but read on to see some of the ways in which it can actually add value to a business. And the reality of it is, this is just a part of doing business in this new environmentally conscious age.
So, where to start you might ask? Below are some of the best ways to get an understanding and a platform for making some positive change in your organisation.
Get an environmental audit
Meet obligations
Get involved in the community
Charitable giving
Encourage volunteering
The benEfits (& perks) of going green
Apart from just sleeping better at night knowing you are doing good in the world. Below are some of the other ways that improving your businesses footprint can positively affect your business.
Government incentives
Attract new customers
Reduce costs
So whether you are already well on your way to improving your company’s footprint or perhaps you are just starting out, the time has come for all of us to do better. Better by the plant and better by each other. And the best catalyst for this is conversation, awareness and action. So let’s get this conversation started.