Does your business have an environmental policy? Research suggests that up to 71% of consumers say it’s a deal breaker for them if a brand isn’t working to reduce its environmental impact. So truthfully, can you afford not to do your part to create an environmentally friendly brand? Probably not.

Besides, there are many other benefits to going green—like supporting the health of our planet and making sure it’s sustainable for future generations. You may even be eligible for a tax benefit or two depending on the changes you make and the industry you’re in.

With this in mind, let’s explore five key ways you can make your brand environmentally friendly.

1. If you print materials, use recyclable stock and only print what you need

An environmentally friendly brand is conscious about the impact that its packaging, shipping and marketing materials has on the planet. By choosing recycled and/or recyclable materials and only printing what you need, you’re doing your small part in working towards a sustainable future by not wasting precious materials. Remember also to mark your materials as recyclable so that your consumers can carry this through once they’ve purchased your wares.

2. Develop an in-house environmental policy

What can you do within your team to create an environmentally friendly brand? For an environmental approach to be authentic (which is super important to consumers), it needs to be followed through across all areas of your business. Here are a few pointers to include in your environmentally friendly brand policy:

  • Go paperless wherever possible
  • Switch everything off at the end of the day
  • Reduce and reuse wherever possible
  • Encourage staff to walk, cycle or catch public transport to work
  • Disconnect from automatic air conditioning if you can
  • Recycle batteries
  • Clearly label bins and have a rubbish, recycling and if possible a compost bin

3. Avoid ‘greenwashing’

If a company spends more time portraying themselves as an environmentally friendly brand without really doing too much to follow through with that, it’s referred to as ‘greenwashing’. Consumers are savvy these days and they will see through any flimsy or vague statements that aren’t backed up by action or evidence. This is where authenticity and honesty is so important.

4. Switch to green web hosting

When a hosting company actively implements eco-friendly initiative, they’re considered a green web hosting company. This could be through renewable energy or carbon offset initiatives as well as actionable policies that reduce their daily footprint. At CSQD, we use and provide green web hosting through Digital Pacific so all of our clients who allow us to host their websites are already one step ahead!

5. Don’t put all of your eggs into the environmentally friendly basket

It’s wonderful that more brands are striving for a more environmentally friendly approach, however, this means that you probably won’t stand out on your environmental policy alone. Make sure that you maintain competitive difference in other ways to ensure you stand out from the pack.