Sustainable Products/Services

Sustainable Products

According to Wikipedia, in order to be considered environmentally sustainable, products must provide economic, social and environmental benefits over their entire life cycle, from raw material extraction through disposal. The entire lifecycle of a sustainable product is environmentally friendly.

A product must not cause any permanent damage to the environment from the time raw materials are extracted to when they are disposed of.

Sustainable products add to solving socio-ecological problems at the worldwide or improve the environmental performance of products.

Sustainable Services

The definition of sustainable services is meeting the needs of manufacturers and consumers to create common benefit and not compromising the “quality of future value creation”. (Just a Moment. . ., n.d.). Social and environmental implications of sustainable services should therefore be explored.

In order to achieve long-term behavioral change, a service perspective is crucial, one that embraces value co-creation and considers contextual factors. However, most companies focus sustainability services only on creating eco-friendly products, instead of creating services that could foster some behavioral changes in consumers to promote continuous sustainability.

How can companies make products/services more sustainable?

Looking at an article from Honest Mobile, in order to reduce their environmental impact, most businesses have already set long and short-term targets. Business owners often believe that going green will cost them too much, when in fact it offers many profits beyond attaining their moral and legal obligations(8 Ways to Make Your Business More Sustainable, 2021). The article goes on to list some ways in which companies can make their services more sustainable by starting at their main site of operations:

The first is for most businesses to reduce the use of single use items. Over a million tons of plastic waste generated each year are from consumers using single-use items, which is almost the same as the weight of about four billion people. These can be replaced with reusable items instead. For example, many retailers give their customers plastic grocery bags that get thrown away; consumers could use reusable bags to prevent the waste accumulated from using plastic bags. Business' carbon footprints will be reduced by using compostable materials where possible. In contrast to landfills, compostable materials decompose into compost easily. Washington state for example, has a law in effect that prevents businesses from giving customers single-use plastics unless they’re asked for.

Sustainable goods and services can also be sourced from local suppliers in order to make businesses more eco-friendly. " Eco-friendly" refers to products and companies that adhere to environmental policies and practices. A company that uses renewable energy instead of fossil fuels or offsets its carbon emissions, for example, might stock shelves with products made from recycled plastic. Although this might involve a lot of research and local resources are expensive, they pay off in the long run since research has shown that consumers are willing to pay more for eco-friendly products(Nextdoor Editorial Team, n.d.). This might involve a little extra research to determine who they can partner with for local supplies.

Another way is for companies to find a cause that ties with their mission and support them. Setting long-term goals is just as important as short-term goals that the company can achieve. When you go green, you'll have more impact on the environment and also reap more benefits for yourself. The cause you choose could better align with your business's beliefs and appeal more to potential customers, as they may feel passionate about the same cause as you do. If you choose to support reforestation or water pollution reduction, you might appeal to more potential customers.

Companies can become eco-conscious and attract eco-conscious neighbors by implementing these eco-friendly practices and many more.

Sources:

8 ways to make your business more sustainable. (2021, July 16). Honest Mobile. https://honestmobile.co.uk/2021/02/17/8-ways-to-make-your-business-more-sustainable/

Eco-Friendly Products. (2021, February 2). Ecofriend. https://ecofriend.com/how-to-make-a-more-sustainable-future.html/eco-natural-paper-cups-straws-toothbrush-flat-lay-on-gray-background-sustainable-lifestyle-concept-zero-waste-plastic-free-items-stop-plastic-pollution-top-view-overhead-template-mockup

Just a moment. . . (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652621014475

Nextdoor Editorial Team. (n.d.). Sustainable Changes for an Eco-Friendly Business. Retrieved October 25, 2022, from https://business.nextdoor.com/en-us/small-business/resources/blog/9-ways-to-make-your-business-more-eco-friendly

Wikipedia contributors. (2022, September 23). Sustainable products. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_products

Sustainable Products

According to Wikipedia, in order to be considered environmentally sustainable, products must provide economic, social and environmental benefits over their entire life cycle, from raw material extraction through disposal. The entire lifecycle of a sustainable product is environmentally friendly.

A product must not cause any permanent damage to the environment from the time raw materials are extracted to when they are disposed of.

Sustainable products add to solving socio-ecological problems at the worldwide or improve the environmental performance of products.

Sustainable Services

The definition of sustainable services is meeting the needs of manufacturers and consumers to create common benefit and not compromising the “quality of future value creation”. (Just a Moment. . ., n.d.). Social and environmental implications of sustainable services should therefore be explored.

In order to achieve long-term behavioral change, a service perspective is crucial, one that embraces value co-creation and considers contextual factors. However, most companies focus sustainability services only on creating eco-friendly products, instead of creating services that could foster some behavioral changes in consumers to promote continuous sustainability.

How can companies make products/services more sustainable?

Looking at an article from Honest Mobile, in order to reduce their environmental impact, most businesses have already set long and short-term targets. Business owners often believe that going green will cost them too much, when in fact it offers many profits beyond attaining their moral and legal obligations(8 Ways to Make Your Business More Sustainable, 2021). The article goes on to list some ways in which companies can make their services more sustainable by starting at their main site of operations:

1. The first is for most businesses to reduce the use of single use items. Over a million tons of plastic waste generated each year are from consumers using single-use items, which is almost the same as the weight of about four billion people. These can be replaced with reusable items instead. For example, many retailers give their customers plastic grocery bags that get thrown away; consumers could use reusable bags to prevent the waste accumulated from using plastic bags. Business' carbon footprints will be reduced by using compostable materials where possible. In contrast to landfills, compostable materials decompose into compost easily. Washington state for example, has a law in effect that prevents businesses from giving customers single-use plastics unless they’re asked for.

2. Sustainable goods and services can also be sourced from local suppliers in order to make businesses more eco-friendly. " Eco-friendly" refers to products and companies that adhere to environmental policies and practices. A company that uses renewable energy instead of fossil fuels or offsets its carbon emissions, for example, might stock shelves with products made from recycled plastic. Although this might involve a lot of research and local resources are expensive, they pay off in the long run since research has shown that consumers are willing to pay more for eco-friendly products(Nextdoor Editorial Team, n.d.). This might involve a little extra research to determine who they can partner with for local supplies.

3. Another way is for companies to find a cause that ties with their mission and support them. Setting long-term goals is just as important as short-term goals that the company can achieve. When you go green, you'll have more impact on the environment and also reap more benefits for yourself. The cause you choose could better align with your business's beliefs and appeal more to potential customers, as they may feel passionate about the same cause as you do. If you choose to support reforestation or water pollution reduction, you might appeal to more potential customers.

Companies can become eco-conscious and attract eco-conscious neighbors by implementing these eco-friendly practices and many more.

Sources:

• 8 ways to make your business more sustainable. (2021, July 16). Honest Mobile. https://honestmobile.co.uk/2021/02/17/8-ways-to-make-your-business-more-sustainable/

• Eco-Friendly Products. (2021, February 2). Ecofriend. https://ecofriend.com/how-to-make-a-more-sustainable-future.html/eco-natural-paper-cups-straws-toothbrush-flat-lay-on-gray-background-sustainable-lifestyle-concept-zero-waste-plastic-free-items-stop-plastic-pollution-top-view-overhead-template-mockup

• Just a moment. . . (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2022, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652621014475

• Nextdoor Editorial Team. (n.d.). Sustainable Changes for an Eco-Friendly Business. Retrieved October 25, 2022, from https://business.nextdoor.com/en-us/small-business/resources/blog/9-ways-to-make-your-business-more-eco-friendly

• Wikipedia contributors. (2022, September 23). Sustainable products. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_products