Sustainability Should Be the Only Way to Do Business in the Future
Throughout the years, corporate sustainability has gone through several phases. In the current era, it’s the strongest it has ever been.
However, it’s still not the “only” way to do business — but I believe it should be.
In this post, I address the issue of sustainability and showcase how no business should be allowed to operate without having a green process line in place.
But first, let’s talk you through what a sustainable business is in the first place.
Sustainable Businesses: What Are They?
A sustainable business is one that leaves a minimum negative impact on our planet. In the best-case scenario, it might even affect the environment positively, improving the quality of life on Earth even more.
To be a sustainable business, you need to make sure you’re recycling as many materials as possible, leaving no harmful byproducts behind, not burning a lot of fuel, and taking other similar precautions.
The Phases of Sustainability in Business
We’ve been running out of fossil fuels at a rapid pace. Statistics show that if we keep burning fuel at the rate that we’re burning it today, we will run out of it by 2060.
And of course, burning fossil fuels harms the environment by leaving Carbon Dioxide and other harmful byproducts in the environment.
In the past, human concerns about this issue weren’t so prominent, mainly because we were still a bit far from the “big day” when our fuel runs out and our atmospheric oxygen depletes.
However, we’re marching towards that day faster than ever now, and humans have started noticing the impacts already.
So, this phenomenon has naturally encouraged most individuals and corporates on the planet to pursue a green future. Hence, the struggle to reduce the carbon footprint is greater than ever now.
But even today, having a sustainable business is still an option, not a necessity.
The Sustainable Way Should Be the Only Way
According to me, running a business with a process line that harms the environment should be completely off the charts. It shouldn’t be possible to have a business in 2022 that directly or indirectly harms the planet.
Instead, the only feasible and allowed way of conducting business should be through sustainability.
Now, it’s easier said than done.
We would have to completely rewrite many industries from the ground up to make them sustainable. Furthermore, creating a sustainable product costs a lot more than a non-sustainable product, which makes green business models even less appealing for small businesses.
However, considering how close we are to destroying our planet, it’s time to take the leap and develop an infrastructure that only allows sustainable businesses to operate.
Non-sustainable businesses should be provided a viable way to convert their red process lines to green ones.
Change begins with you
We cannot change the entire workflow of businesses until we start small. It begins with me and you.
You, the reader, have to put resources into making sustainability the only way to do business.
Use manufacturing processes that don’t leave any wastes behind, release no harmful byproducts, consume less fuel, etc.
Simply put, you want to aim for at least one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For instance, if you consume lesser fuel during your manufacturing processes and leave no harmful substances behind, you’ve successfully met the Goal #12. It’s advised to aim for at least one of the goals.
The Bottom Line
While humanity is focusing more than ever on making the corporate world sustainable today, we’re still far away from the ideal situation.
But — considering how close we are to depleting our resources and destroying the healthy environment of the world, now’s the time to take some bold steps and make sustainability the only way of business today.
