In general, consumers don’t necessarily like businesses trying to tell them what to do or teach them about morality. However, when done correctly, you can help to encourage your consumers to act more responsibly in certain ways, especially if you take steps that make this easier for them to accomplish.
To help you see how this can be done, here are three ways your business can help your customers make better environmental decisions.
Repurpose Things When You Can
Repurposing items is a great way to be both environmentally friendly and economical. As a business, you can find ways to not only repurpose things for your company, like using all waste water you create, but to also make it easy for your customers to repurpose items they get from you.
According to Julie Bawden-Davis, a contributor to American Express, you should try to look for items that can easily be used more than once for very logical purposes. For example, if you’re a food service business that provides takeout silverware with your meals, try to use materials that can then be used again by your customers without degrading or losing too much of their original quality. This can help your customers get into the habit of reusing items before just throwing them away once they’ve served their original purpose.
Use Responsible Packaging
Another part of your business that can easily be reused by your customers, if you take the time to get quality materials in the first place, is your packaging.
Not only is it possible for you to package your goods in such a way that your customers may be able to use that packaging material again for another purpose, but Adam Butler, a contributor to Forbes.com, shares that you should at least ensure that any packaging materials you use are able to be recycled. While this might mean that you have to source these items from somewhere else, informing your customers that your packaging materials are recyclable may further encourage them to recycle other items in addition to what you’ve provided.
Share The Reasoning For Your Business Decisions
When you make other decisions for your business that are going to have some kind of environmental impact, which is likely a lot of your business decisions, Heather Levin, a contributor to Money Crashers, recommends that you try to make decisions that are going to be wise both for your business and for the world around you. And once you make these decisions, consider sharing with your customers or followers how and why you came to the decision you did. By being open about your thought process, you may encourage some of your customers to think more carefully about the decisions they make that could be impacting the environment as well.
If you’re wanting to go beyond your own business by helping your customers or clients begin to have a more positive impact on the environment as well, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you accomplish this goal.
Image Credits: Kelly Sikkema
Like this article? Share with your friends!