This post will go through three illustrations of how enterprises can implement sustainability in different stages of their the business world, responding to a worldwide consumer demand that requires environmental awareness.
One among the industries that has absolutely regarded the importance of sustainability in business is that of power. While in the past century we have actually been relying primarily on fossil-based sources of power, we have recently grasped only how considerable an impact they can have actually on the environment, conducting some big power providers to gradually shift to much more sustainable practices. In the case of EDP’s activist shareholders, for example, there has been a strong support towards the use of renewable resources instead, with the company focusing on wind and sunlight as sources for a tremendous amount of their operations. In any list of environmental trends one may come across, renewable energy would certainly be mentioned, as a fantastic example of how a company can adapt to newer scientific and digital developments that allow to collaborate with the earth we live in rather than work against it.
The most prominent of the consumer sustainability trends that has been observed lately is surely linked to waste. Customers and brand names alike are becoming knowledgeable about what form of impact throwaway products can have actually, particularly with regards to packaging, conducting to a trend of much more easily recyclable avenues. If one was to identify key trends in sustainability, they would come across a key instance in the tremendous shift there has been in the last couple of years when it comes to disposable plastic bags, with entities like Waitrose’s governance aiming to completely get rid of the product and replace it with biodegradable alternatives or encouraging customers to bring their own reusable bag. With this type of move becoming something that is actively promoted by the authorities, planning to reduce the waste quantities at a nationwide level, we can hope that other chains will follow with similar projects.
An industry which has observed a considerable consumer demand for sustainable products is the fashion sector. With patterns and concepts altering so often, the last decade has brought a trend of particularly high production amounts, with individuals buying more items but then ending up utilising them only one or two times before discarding them. Following the awareness of such a behaviour, the younger generations have begun to try to purchase less pieces or ones that would be more versatile, or even look out for brand names that would utilise sustainable practices or materials. Figures like Banana Republic’s parent firm know the connectivity between millennials and sustainable fashion, and actually have invested in the employment of alternative materials with lower environmental influences compared to more standard ones such as cotton. As potential clients might be actively in search of this sort of functions, other brands will hopefully imitate projects of this kind.