Most executives aspire to creating great companies. Business owners aspire to creating great businesses. In today’s world, to be a great business, you also have to be a green business. Employees and customers care about how eco friendly and socially responsible a business is, some demand it. Being a green business will enable executives, business owners and managers to hire great people, create a great culture, have great customer relationships, and create a great place to work. It’s also good for business. The companies committed to sustainability have shown that green business practices improve operational efficiency, reduce operational costs, enhance their brand, retain employees, attract customers and drive sales.
The time is right for all companies and businesses to get serious about sustainability. This starts with assigning a person or team to own it. Companies need to put a sustainability framework in place that will enable businesses to understand, prioritize, implement and certify green initiatives and sustainable business practices. Companies need to take a holistic approach and address all sustainable aspects of a business including business practices, products, services, facilities, supplies, procurement, operations, transportation, employee engagement and community involvement.
Our mission at the Green Business Bureau is to make every business a green business. Although we are most recognized for our green business certification program, more importantly, we are empowering businesses to create a green culture and become more sustainable through our sustainability framework and step-by-step guides for implementing best practices. Here are some of the keys to creating a GREAT GREEN BUSINESS:
GREEN TEAM EMPOWERMENT
Companies need to provide a framework and online tools for sustainability managers and committees to manage their green initiatives and track sustainability progress across distributed organizations and facilities.
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
Companies need an official sustainability program that guides green teams and enables employees to choose the green initiatives that best suit their business. Green teams should tap employees across all organizations and find people passionate about the environment and social responsibility to be their green ambassadors.
SUSTAINABILITY GAMIFICATION WITH ECOPOINTS AND LEVELS
Companies need to set goals and prioritize initiatives. For example, the GBB platform includes over 400 greening initiatives across eight categories that earn GBB EcoPoints rated on environmental impact, implementation cost and effort. Companies can rally employees and groups to accumulate EcoPoints and reach Gold and Platinum levels of sustainability.
SUCCESS CELEBRATION
Companies need to share sustainability and social responsibility goals with their employees, customers and partners and then celebrate their accomplishments as they complete initiatives. They need to show their commitment to sustainability in a credible way. Partnering with a 3rd party solution provider and implementing a sustainability framework is often a great way to do this. Online platforms like GBB’s are great enablers to creating that green culture and will help you manage your green business journey.
