HOW YOU CAN PROFIT FROM SUSTAINABILITY

Posted by brandstad in May, 2017

There are a number of innovations and initiatives which businesses large and small are developing within the environmental/sustainability space. It is no longer an option for organisations to expect to remain competitive if they continue to conduct business without any consideration for the people who buy the products and services and the planet we live in. Here are some really innovative examples of how you can build a successful business and still have an environmental/sustainability focus.

Create circular products with zero waste with Cradle to Cradle production processes

Cradle to Cradle is a term used to describe products that have been designed so that every aspect or material used in its construction can be recycled, reused, composted or consumed so the product is essentially waste-free.
The term was made popular by William McDonough and Michael Braungart in their book titled Cradle to Cradle, Remaking the Way We Make Things, which is a manifesto for cradle to cradle product design and gave rise to the development of a new independent Certification standard by McDonough and Braungart.
There is a Cradle to Cradle Certified Product Standard which is administered by the independent non-profit Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute. The Cradle to Cradle Certified™ Product Standard guides designers and manufacturers through a continual improvement process that looks at a product through five quality categories — material health, material reutilisation, renewable energy and carbon management, water stewardship, and social fairness. A product receives an achievement level in each category — Basic, Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum — with the lowest achievement level representing the product’s overall mark.
If this is something which your company would be interested in achieving you can get more information at the Cradle to Cradle Institute https://www.c2ccertified.org/
An online portal that specialises in products that have passed only the highest environmental standards continues to grow  Cradletocradlemarketplace.com (C2C MarketPlace) stocks only those products that have passed the rigorous Cradle to Cradle Certification Product Standard, a kite mark awarded to products striving for continual improvement across five categories – material health, material reutilisation, renewable energy/carbon management, water stewardship and social fairness.
Cradle to Cradle Certified products include household, homeware and clothing ranges from brands such as Brabantia, Jules Clarysee, Method, gNappies and Trigema.

 

Why not join the Zero Emissions Network (ZEN) and benefit from saving the environment with a ZEN CARD

Businesses and their staff can enjoy a range of discounts on everything from coffee and gym classes to radio advertising and bike accessories as reward for being part of an exciting local eco collective.
The award-winning Zero Emissions Network (ZEN) sees Hackney, Islington and Tower Hamlets councils work with hundreds of businesses in one of the most polluted parts of London to help them reduce pollutants, save money and improve staff health.
More than 620 firms have already signed up to the free service and are enjoying a range of exclusive cash-saving deals.
Cllr Feryal Demirci, Hackney Council’s Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Sustainability, said: “Those in the Zero Emissions Network already enjoy some of the best money and energy-saving deals around. The ZEN Card means even more benefits for our businesses and their staff.
“We hope the card will support our local businesses by encouraging those in ZEN to shop with other members, as well as help raise the profile of the network within companies in order to help spread the word further.”
ZEN launched in July 2013 to help businesses work cleaner, greener and cheaper, and improve air quality in and around Tech City, Shoreditch.
For further information visit www.cleanerairforlondon.org.uk/zen

If you would like to have a sustainability review of your business products to see how your organisation can benefit from sustainability initiatives contact us at www.brandstad.co.uk