More than ever, sustainability is becoming a top priority for business. Whether it’s about the way you operate to make best use of resources, how your business works to look after the environment, this has become more important – not only to businesses, but to customers. Also, sustainability is playing a bigger part in customers’ purchasing decisions. And more businesses are recognising the importance of sharing with their customers and stakeholders the ways that they work in a sustainable way.
That’s why it’s important for a business to share the ways that it does this with customers. That’s where having a solid sustainability policy in place can provide an important part of sharing this information.
Not sure what to write in your sustainability policy? Here are some tips to show you how to write one.
What does sustainability mean?
Sustainability is all about the way that a business can keep running over a long time. It’s about the use of resources in a business financially, economically and environmentally. In terms of the environment, it’s about managing the operations of a business using resources efficiently, while minimising damage to the environment and managing effectively for the long-term.
What is a sustainability policy?
Every business will have some policies that explain different aspects of a business’ process or guidelines around values. A sustainability policy will explain to customers and stakeholders how your business helps to look after the environment, how it uses resources efficiently or works to ensure long-term success.
Why is a sustainability policy important?
With the government placing increasing importance on how to reduce carbon footprints and do more to help the environment, businesses are having to be more responsible. A sustainability policy can share with stakeholders exactly how a business does this.
Research also shows that sustainability is having a greater impact on a customers’ purchasing decisions. A business’ commitment to operating sustainably, whether recycling or using sustainable materials, can affect whether they wish to buy a product or service.
This is why it’s important for you to share with your audience how you help the environment. There are a few different ways you can share with your customers how your business works sustainably and a sustainability policy forms an important part of that.
How long does it need to be?
A sustainability policy does not need to be extensively long – it can simply be 2-3 pages, particularly if you’re a small business and still growing. If yor business offers an environmentally product or service, you may have more detail to include in your sustainability policy.
What does my sustainability policy need to include?
What are you meant to write in your policy and what do you need to include? If you find yourself scratching your head, you can break it down like this:
- Economical – how your business runs to work efficiently or uses resources to make them last longer
- Financial – how the business is run to save money or helps your customers save money
- Environmental – How your business helps to look after the environment
Your policy can be broken down into the main sections you’re likely to include. This will make your policy easier to write.
Vision – this part is an overall outline describing what the end sight is for your business. What does your business plan as the overall outcome and how does sustainability play a part in this?
Definition of sustainability – this is a simple way of explaining what you mean by sustainability. It can come down to a variety of things, so explaining it help make it clear to your audience.
Aims or Goals – speak about this in terms of sustainability.
If you don’t use plastic packaging, state this as part of one of your end goals.
If it is an aim to reduce waste by a certain percentage in a certain timeframe, make this clear. Include 2-3 aims or end goals you want to achieve in your business.
Scope – This is a simple statement to say that your policy applies through all aspects of your business – which could include the daily operations, customer service or processes of the business.
How we help the environment
You’ll want to outline how your business runs to help and protect the environment. How does it minimise wastage? Does it only use recycled materials? Consider all of the ways and consider dividing them up into sections:
- Sustainability through the way you create your products, such as the wholesale suppliers you work with
- The way that you market your business, such as creating flyers from recycled paper
- Through the efficient use of energy and other resources
- Minimising wastage
- Working with local communities to give back to the environment
Community payback
Some businesses work with a local community to volunteer to an environmental cause. Another may donate towards the cost of planting trees locally. You might want to consider the way that you give back to a local community as a standard part of running your business.
To conclude, a sustainability policy can be a key part of letting your customers and stakeholders know how you help the environment and run efficiently.
There are other ways you can communicate this organically with your audience, through other website pages and your marketing efforts, providing it is done in a natural and organic way.
