‘6 Benefits of Sustainable Biz’ Still Strikes a Chord One Year Later

by | Oct 20, 2017

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Reflections from Jen

An article from spring 2016 was one of the most-read articles on Environmental Leader last week. When I checked today, it again topped the list. Curious, I looked at the past 90 days and sure enough, the article headed our list of most-read articles week after week, as far back as August. The article? 6 Benefits of Becoming a Sustainable Business, published in March of last year.

I’m intrigued: our readers are pretty sophisticated and advanced when it comes to understanding sustainability and environmental management. I would imagine that our readers are already quite knowledgeable about the benefits of sustainable business practices. But clearly, something within this article resonates.

Maybe the traffic to this article comes from search. It could be that the search term “sustainable business” or something similar is a popular one, and those reading the article are people who are not already entrenched in sustainable business practices. It could be that you (our current readers) are using the article the convince higher-ups to fund your sustainability initiatives by showing them a strong argument from an outside source.

Or maybe it’s something more basic: maybe we all need reminders now and then on why we’re in this business of sustainability in the first place. The article is a good place to find reassurance that our initiatives truly embrace all three of the Ps (or the triple bottom line): that what we’re doing is not just good for the Planet and the People, but that they improve Profits, as well.

What are the 6 benefits listed in the article (as suggested by author Michael Rogers, operations director of USInsuranceAgents.com)?

Briefly:

  • Improve brand image and competitive advantage
  • Increase productivity and reduced costs
  • Increase business ability to comply with regulation
  • Attract employees and investors
  • Reduce waste
  • Make shareholders happy

 

So take heart. If your sustainability efforts ever discourage you, remember that “The old truism that anything easy isn’t worthwhile applies to sustainability,” Rogers wrote. “It takes dedication, commitment, and follow-through from the C-suite to rank-and-file employees to jump on board the sustainability bandwagon and make it succeed. However, if your business can do it, morale and productivity will improve even as sales increase and costs decrease. It’s the ultimate win-win achievement for the shareholders, the consumers, and the employees.”

The article was a good reminder for me, today, as well.

Enjoy your weekend. I hope the weather where you are is as pleasant as it is here in Fort Collins, CO: 65 degrees, sunny, slightly breezy, giant blue sky, crisp air. Gotta love autumn.

Jen

PS: for what it’s worth, I just searched “sustainable business practices” on Google News and did not see the above article on the first page of results. However, one of our articles from earlier this month popped up right at the top, on a similar subject: SMBs, Sort of Optimistic, Worry US Sustainable Practices Remain in Jeopardy. Interested? Check it out here.

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