Over the past decade the concept of sustainability has moved from an aspiration to an imperative. What was once seen as food for thought is now a cornerstone quality of any business model in the 21st century. Of course, included in this sustainability agenda is the way a company handles its waste and proactively seeks out better ways to reduce its carbon footprint.
There’s a lot we can say about why sustainability today? But we’ve decided to narrow it down to 7 reasons why your company can’t afford to think any other way. Here’s why we think the sustainable way is the only way:
Cheap is unaffordable
Quick and easy doesn’t pay off in the end. In fact, it will cost you more. It’s tempting to outsource your waste disposal to any guy off the street. But the short - term savings will have, at best, short - term benefits. You need the professional insight, resources and skills of an accredited waste provider who can weave your waste strategy into one cohesive plan that will continually add value to your brand.
The red tape is real
Companies today face an ever-growing pile of legislation and taxation when it comes to corporate environmental compliance. When choosing to work with informal, non- accredited partners off the street you’re unable to account for your waste flows and disposal activities, and you’ll have to cough up bigger tax penalties at the end of the day.
Find out how the Carbon Tax bill will affect your business, download our Carbon Tax ebook now.
The brand, the brand, the brand
As we mentioned in the last blog, brand power is today’s superpower. More and more, customers are looking for products and services that align with their ecological aspirations and values. If your company is not actually implementing a sustainable agenda across the operational landscape, don’t expect your customers to turn a blind eye to this fact - and don’t be surprised if they take their loyalty elsewhere.
Recycling = rands
Your company’s aim should be to extract as much value as possible from your waste streams. Recycling is one effective way of doing this: by identifying materials within the cradle - to - grave cycle that can be repurposed and reused for income generation and best practice sustainable solutions. There’s no doubt about it, recycling can reinvent your income generation streams and add resilience to your brand and bottom line.
Your carbon footprint counts
Being an outstanding leader, means leading with the big picture in mind. The way your company manages their carbon footprint will impact the long - term sustainability of the environment. Keep in mind that municipal solid waste in developing countries alone is projected to rise to 2.2 billions tonnes per year by 2025 (a number that has practically doubled since 2012). We need to think beyond our own silos and short - term wins, and consider the collective implications of our waste habits on South Africa and Africa as a whole.
Zero waste unlocks value
A zero - waste management strategy can only be achieved when you’re ruthlessly inventive and refuse to see your waste as trash. Guaranteed, there are ways that you can turn your current squander into profit within your day-to-day operations. Food waste, for example, provides all kinds of potential waste-to-energy solutions - a landmine opportunity when considering the rising costs of electricity and fossil-fuel based energy.
The future demands it
Beyond the bottom - line benefits, environmental sustainability is a matter of ecological responsibility for business leaders today. In a world that is increasingly buckling under the adverse effects of climate change and overpopulation, we simply can’t afford to do business as usual. Rather than throwing our limited resources down the drain, we need to get creative around how best to use (and reuse) what we have.
Sustainability is not an option anymore - it’s Business 101 in the 21st century.
Contact us to learn more about sustainability and how to build it into your company strategy.
