Concern for the environment has grown fast in recent years. The effect of climate change and the damage that it causes the planet are urgent issues that weigh heavily on the minds of citizens across the world. Many people are increasingly looking for ways to minimize the negative impact that they have on the planet through changes to their everyday habits. These changes involve various activities, such as reducing their plastic waste or driving an electric vehicle. However, the changes don’t stop there; many consumers are also adjusting their shopping habits to make more eco-friendly purchase decisions. For many consumers, the focus is no longer solely on price; instead, sustainability is also a significant concern. As consumers continue to become increasingly savvy about shopping responsibly, organizations must respond and fulfill this need. Businesses that do not improve their environmental responsibility put themselves at risk of reputational damage and losing customers. Here is how to effectively communicate your business’ eco-credentials to your customers and the wider world:
Identify Your Values and Ethics
Establishing what your company stands for and the values it represents is the first step towards being recognized as an environmentally responsible company. For your customers to trust that you are a genuine eco-friendly business, they need you to state why and how your business holds these values. Most importantly, you also need to communicate how these values are practiced in your business. Nowadays, many companies have a corporate and social responsibility statement on their website. The corporate and social responsibility statement identifies the steps your business takes to ensure that it is ethical. The statement then helps to build trust with your customers.
Seek Accreditation
Gaining accreditation is a crucial step in your journey to verify that you run an environmentally responsible business. All too often, companies’ greenwash’ and make claims about the eco-friendliness of their products that cannot be verified or may be wildly exaggerated. This kind of behavior damages the trust of consumers and makes them suspicious of other brands that claim to follow environmentally-sound business practices. Achieving a recognized accreditation for your business is the best way to verify your claims and rubber stamp your eco-friendly status. Gaining accreditation demonstrates that you are true to your values and provides the official confirmation needed to prove this to be true.
Achieving accreditation is especially useful if you operate in an industry that impacts heavily on the environment. Alan Miller of Genesis Diagnostics achieved this when working at Artisan Fabrics by ensuring that the brand’s products met Fair Trade guidelines. This helped to set Artisan Fabrics apart from its competitors.
Focus on Visual Communication
Have you noticed that many environmentally conscious businesses use brown and green colors in their packaging and advertising? Using colors that you find in nature is a popular tactic with sustainable businesses as they increase the eco-friendly vibe of the brand. Communicating your business’ green values on every level will strengthen your branding further and show consumers that you are serious about sustainability.
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