We’ve all been doing our bit to save the planet, right? With the onus on going green and living sustainably becoming more and more important, founders have begun to look at themselves and their startups to see what can be done to improve their efforts. The fragility of the environment has never been more noticeable than it is right now, leading individuals and companies alike to come up with new ways to conduct business to both preserve and improve our ecosystem.
It’s even becoming a deciding factor for consumers, with 37% of them saying that environmental sustainability will be one of their highest priorities when choosing products and services. In addition, consumers are likely to spend 12% more for a product or service if it is sustainable. It’s not just consumers, employees are looking for sustainable employers, with 60% of candidates admitting they research a company’s sustainability commitments before applying for or accepting a role.
The positives
It makes everyone, founders, employees, consumers, investors, the lot, happy to know that they’re doing their bit in making the world a sustainable place. With ways to become greener ever changing and adapting so we can implement changes into our everyday coming to fruition, it’s easier now to do your bit than it used to be.
Sustainability, no matter how small or large your efforts are, makes a difference. We could harp on and on how important it is for us all to live sustainably for the Earth, but we know you’re already aware. You can’t go anywhere without seeing something to do with recycling, cutting down on emissions, and reducing your carbon footprint, and it is for good reason…
There are positives for you, as a founder as well, as becoming ‘greener’ and energy efficient saves money as well as the planet. Alongside that, focusing your efforts on sustainability opens your startup up to more investors. Investing in a sustainable startup is an attractive quality for them, as the climate is at the forefront of their minds, too.
The challenges
There’s no denying that it is still difficult to make changes for your startups sustainability efforts when you’re just starting or are scaling. Allocating the time and resources to be able to do it justice is sometimes not an option. Letting the world know that environmental matters are integral to your brand values may not be the first thing you think of doing as there’s so much else that goes into a startup hitting the ground running.
However, what counts, is making small changes that are within your means until your startup has scaled enough to tackle the big stuff.
Ch-ch-changes, turn and face the strange
No idea is a bad idea when it comes to cutting carbon footprints. Actions as simple as recycling more, going paperless, and turning off lights in rooms no one is using are enough to make a difference.
However, there’s tech developing right now to lead us all towards the big changes we want to see happening. A company in Sweden has been developing Sunlight Transport, a passive system that channels sunlight and transports it through fibre-optic cables to illuminate sun-deprived rooms and zeroing energy consumption throughout the daytime. How amazing does that sound?
Turns out the sun can be utilised for all sorts of green technology as SmartFlower have produced a solar flower. The solar flower has twelve petals which open throughout the day and close with the sunset. It also features a sun tracker for maximum solar energy production. Depending on the location of the solar flower, it can produce enough electricity to power a household in Europe each day.
Plant-based packaging has been making leaps and bounds recently, becoming an even better alternative to plastic than it already was. It’s 100% recyclable and biodegradable, with companies like Lush Cosmetics giving customers handy tips to use their packaging as plant food! Think about when you’ve ordered something online, more often than not it arrives in an obscene amount of plastic and unrecyclable materials. Now, there are options available to combat this.
In conclusion
The future is looking bright for startups to be more environmentally friendly. It’s a big commitment to make, but one that seems to be beneficial rather than unhelpful. We’re all doing our bit and that’s the most important part.
