In the midst of the holiday season, it is easy to overlook the sheer importance of the environment and the impact it has on human life. As the supplier of food, water, and protection against harmful sunlight, the environment is the provider of human existence. It is the foundation for every aspect of our lives, extending to the functionality of our economy and businesses. Infrastructures and resources that we have come to take for granted such as power systems, roads, railways, and computers are all in part, fruits of our natural environment.
With such high stakes, when it comes to protecting the environment, small businesses are being held to account at a record pace. Organizations of all shapes and sizes are expected to mix sustainability into their business practices. During the holiday season, this can be tricky because of the increased expectations and demands that coincide with the festivities. Due to the potential for additional waste and energy consumption, it is important not to lose sight of sustainable business practices alongside meeting end of year targets and planning the holiday office party.
There is also a robust business case to put forth as the business landscape continues to shift toward environmentalism. This is a trend set to continue well beyond 2019. When armed with a greater understanding of sustainability concepts, small business owners can achieve a durable competitive advantage by saving money through innovative strategies to produce low-cost and ecologic friendly goods and services for the holiday season and beyond.
Let’s take a closer look.
Building a Sustainable Foundation for Your Business
According to Roopinder Oberoi Ph.D. (2014), a sustainable strategic plan for a business should consider the following:
- Business owners should be able to identify the expectations of stakeholders
- Mutual and multilateral sustainability interests based on individual interests and expectations.
- Set up a monitoring strategy to perceive changes in the business environment to develop appropriate responses.
In terms of stakeholder expectations, it might surprise you to learn that at the time of writing, $22.89 trillion of assets are now linked to responsible investment strategies globally and this trend is only set to continue. It is likely your corporate stakeholders will be heading the charge in the push for sustainable business practices within your organization. From a stakeholder vantage, going green yields the best ROI and ensures a positive business reputation.
Another area to consider when building a sustainable foundation for your business are the concepts of “enterprise integration” and “market transformation.” According to Andrew J. Hoffman, enterprise integration considers present-day requirements, while market transformation will help organizations to meet the requirements of tomorrow. Enterprise integration is a means to counteract the symptoms of unsustainable business practices within an organization.
Market transformation will help your business to stay ahead of the curve by focusing outward on the health of the market and society in which the organization operates. A great starting point is to acclimatize your organization with expectations laid out in the Paris Agreement. In this way, your organization can agree and implement sustainability practices based upon a commitment to the vitality of wider society, the expectations of stakeholders, and the demands of your business. The next step toward market transformation would be to include the agreed-upon sustainability goals within the KPIs that drive your business.
Sustainability Business Practices for the Holidays
It is important to note that sustainable business practices should be considered part and parcel of the daily operations of your organization. But due to the potential for excess waste and energy consumption during the holiday season, your business should spare extra consideration in order to remain sustainable. The holidays can be an especially busy period, but this shouldn’t stop us from remembering the importance of the environment and the impact it has on every facet of human life.
To meet your environmental quota, include a stipulation in the office gift-giving this year. Your organization could promote an eco-friendly “Secret Santa”, “Chanukah Charlie” or “Holiday Giving Circle” encouraging those who take part to buy eco-friendly gifts made by local suppliers. Remind employees not to buy gifts that create needless waste, and suggest food gifts as these rarely go to waste. If you wrap gifts for employees, customers or clients, use 100 percent post-consumer wrapping paper. This practice should also be encouraged within any office gift-giving. By using this recycled wrapping paper your organization can help to reduce the number of trees cut down during the holiday season.
Another great idea was given to me by a friend and professional colleague who is the Executive Director of the Ray C. Anderson Foundation, John Lanier. John has blogged for the past couple of years about trying a “green elephant exchange.” Suggesting that instead of gifts we look to do social good during this time of year. In a recent blog post, John shares:
“… what if everyone brought a sealed envelope that contains a promise to do something good, either for yourself, another person, or the environment? Someone might bring, I will go hiking one Saturday in my nearest state park. Someone else might bring, I will volunteer one afternoon at my local Boys and Girls Club.”
Read more about John’s visions for social and environmental good.
For decorations, real holiday trees, and wreaths, with LED lights are typically more eco-friendly. If you have a real tree or wreath, they can usually be recycled or composted. As a further measure educate your employees on how to find potential recyclers for their own trees and wreaths. Waste is another area to pay attention to. If your organization doesn’t have an existing recycling scheme, the holiday season is a great time to start. Items such as wrapping paper, paper waste and plastic can all be recycled. Employees should be encouraged to bring their own reusable cups to any office holiday celebrations.
In the spirit of giving, why not donate a portion of your annual profit to an environmental cause? As an alternative to donating money that your business might not be able to afford, offer your time or resources. The holiday season provides businesses with an opportunity to engage in social impact activities within the local community, and it is likely that employees would be more than happy to take part. This is a great team-building exercise and a proven method to boost employee engagement during the holidays. Employees might like to donate their time to a community recycling program, or another environmental effort. Offer this as a seasonal team-building exercise that can take place during work time.
Useful Views Philanthropy would like to take this opportunity to wish you and yours a joyful holiday season. If you would like to learn more about how Useful Views Philanthropy can help you to improve the sustainability of your business during the holiday season and beyond, let’s connect at www.usefulviews.com.