Earth Day is almost upon us once again. Despite repeated calls for action from a variety of governments and nonprofit initiatives, we still collectively have a long way to go to halt climate change and restore our planet’s natural beauty.
While one company can’t make all the difference by itself, your brand can still be more socially responsible this Earth Day – as well as make a positive example for other companies – through leveraging some eco-friendly strategies. Not only will this be good for the environment, but it can also be great for your bottom line.
Not sure how to make your brand more socially responsible by this Earth Day? Check out these ideas to get started.
Why does environmental consciousness matter for your brand?
There are reasons for your brand to practice more environmental consciousness even beyond the shared responsibility we all have to the planet.
In fact, it’s clear from brands that have previously reshaped their policies for better environmental friendliness that being conscious toward the planet can help to build a more loyal customer base. In this day and age, people are no longer willing to purchase the cheapest product they can find – they want to connect to any new brand and feel like they’re supporting a company that’s worthwhile overall.
This is especially true with younger consumers (Millennials and Gen Z). Overall, if you want to build as loyal a customer base as possible, practicing environmental consciousness is a great way to do it.
Even beyond acquiring more customers were curating a loyal consumer base, being more eco-friendly can:
- Save you money in the long run – for instance, switching to green or low energy alternatives for devices and appliances can save you money on your energy bill
- Cause your employees to be more productive. People work harder when they’re employed by companies they believe in more deeply than for simply securing an income
All in all, there are a lot of benefits your brand might experience if you pivot toward a more environmentally friendly focus.
Social responsibility strategies for your brand
But how exactly can you boost your social responsibility and represent the ideals of Earth Day? Here are a few strategies you can employ ASAP. Many of these are based on results seen with other brands who’ve already championed these strategies.
Support local charities and conservation measures
One great idea is to simply support local charities or conservation measures in your area. Odds are there are at least a few goodwill companies or initiatives focused on conserving the environment or rewilding areas that were previously demolished by economic practices.
You and your company don’t need to take an active hand in any of the Earth Day initiatives. But you can financially support charities or conservation measures and still do your part. Then you can advertise as such during your marketing efforts, drawing in consumers and winning all around.
Want an example? Patagonia donates millions of dollars each year to initiatives that support more sustainable and eco-friendly agricultural practices, as well as forest restoration.
Buy and cordon off land – Let the earth take a breather
Want to take a more active role in promoting Earth Day’s values? Consider buying and cordoning off any disused or abandoned land in your local area, city or county.
The idea is to preserve that land and give it a chance to “rewild” itself. Flora and fauna will gradually move in over time if you don’t allow people to build on the land and continue to develop it for commercial purposes.
Since you buy and own the land, no one will be able to take it from you or develop on it without your permission. This is one of the most effective ways to promote eco-friendliness by flexing your economic power. Consumers typically love brands that do this and will likely be more than willing to reward you with their patronage and loyalty.
Leverage digital signage for communication/marketing campaigns
If your company is of appreciable size, chances are you have to start and maintain multiple marketing campaigns. You also likely need to send out regular communications, such as posters or flyers, either to consumers or to your company staff.
Want to be more eco-friendly? Replace all of your paper signage with digital equivalents to reduce the number of trees cut down and lower your eco-footprint. It’s a small measure overall – after all, your company probably doesn’t use so much paper that it’ll stop deforestation by itself. But the message can count all the same.
Fortunately, PosterMyWall offers the software platform for you to create and distribute digital signage. Use this to reinvent your marketing and communications for a sustainable future. Learn more about digital signage from experts.
Reduce single-use products in the office
Did you know that, in 2017, Americans produced about 4.51 pounds of solid waste per person per day? That’s a lot of trash!
Many companies like to reward their employees with office amenities like single-use Keurig cups and similar stuff. It’s convenient, but it’s also incredibly wasteful. You can do your part for the environment by reducing how many single-use products are allowed in your office.
Things like paper plates and forks, coffee, and more can all add up over time, leading to big trash heaps in your office’s backlot. You can still keep many of the same amenities you and your staff may be used to. Just replace the single-use stuff with reusable alternatives.
For instance, don’t buy paper cups or plastic water bottles. Either bring refillable water bottles for your employees or encourage them to purchase reusable tumblers themselves.
Upgrade the office with green windows, appliances, and more
If your company’s office space was built ten years ago or more, odds are its eco-friendliness can be upgraded at least a little bit.
Eco-friendly upgrades can seem quite costly upfront. But they can result in big savings in the long run.
For instance, green windows (also called energy-saving windows) can lower the temperature of your office space during the summer months, reducing how often you need to run your AC. This, in turn, lowers your energy bill across the board.
Similarly, you can look into energy-efficient or eco-friendly appliances, like refrigerators, which will decrease the power consumption of your company.
Or you can consider looking into eco-friendly water use solutions. Be sure to fix any dripping taps or plumbing leaks and use eco-friendly faucets to reduce water use. This strategy might be particularly important if you live in a drought-prone area, like California.
IKEA is one brand really leading the charge in this regard. In fact, its People & Planet Positive strategy aims for 100% renewable energy use over the next few years.
Recycle used electronics
Most companies use all kinds of electrical devices and accessories these days. It’s a good idea to keep your surplus electronic equipment out of the garbage if you want to stay true to Earth Day’s principles. E-waste, such as keyboards, monitors, and more are all but impossible to break down over time in the environment and are building up everywhere around the world.
You can instead recycle any used electronics by sending them to computer manufacturing companies like HP and Dell. These companies will break down the electronics and salvage useful parts and raw materials, such as silicon.
Even better, your company can sometimes get paid to recycle used electronics – explore whether there are any such recycling programs in your area!
This practice – recycling the products you use in your business no matter what they are – can be seen with Starbucks, which uses lots of recyclable or eco-friendly materials for its packaging, like coffee cups.
Lean in to remote work
Lastly, you can be more socially responsible and eco-conscious by taking the main market lesson of COVID-19 into account: remote work, well, works. In fact, lots of companies discovered that their employees were just as – if not more! – productive when they were allowed to work from home as opposed to having to commute to an office.
If your company’s structure or industry allows it, consider giving employees the option to work from home at least part of the week. In-person collaboration and socialization are still important, but you can cut down on the carbon footprint produced by your workers by not forcing them to commute to work every day.
Not only will this be more eco-friendly overall, but it’ll also likely have positive impacts on your employees’ morale and productivity. Working from home mixes well with flexible scheduling, which is rapidly becoming a requirement if you want to consistently employ exceptional staff.
Create social media buzz about your brand’s Earth Day initiatives today!
As you can see, there are lots of great socially conscious and eco-friendly strategies you can leverage starting today. If you already have some ideas about where you want to take your brand, that’s great! Consider making a social media post to promote your brand’s Earth Day initiative so you can build awareness and get your consumer base involved and excited.
Senior editor at PosterMyWall.
