Three ways SMEs can embrace sustainability 1

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These days, consumers around the world are demanding that businesses embrace concepts like sustainability and environmental protection with everything they do. Here in Australia, that trend is particularly pronounced, with one survey finding that over 90 per cent of the population is concerned with sustainability and the environment and that 80 per cent of them hold businesses accountable for their environmental impact.

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For Australian SMEs, this represents a unique opportunity to satisfy consumer demand while expanding their own market share. There’s a handful of ways to do it, and to help, here’s a look at three ways SMEs can embrace sustainability and enhance their business while doing it.

Focus on green sales operations

The first thing that SMEs can do to take advantage of consumer demand for sustainability is to examine ways to run a greener, more environmentally-friendly sales operation. The specifics of how to do this will vary by industry, but every step in the right direction helps. For example, one Sydney-based florist reoriented their product line to include only locally-sourced flowers, in addition to using local suppliers for their packaging and other supply chain needs. Then, they were able to market those changes to a customer base that appreciated their sustainability efforts – which helped to expand their business.

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Expand into eco-friendly product lines

Sometimes, the best way for an SME to embrace sustainability is to develop products that cater directly to the demand itself. An excellent example of this is the recent launch of Melbourne-based mattress firm Ecosa’s organic bamboo line of products. They developed the line after identifying a high customer demand for luxury bedding goods that were made from sustainable materials, and have seen brisk sales ever since the launch. This kind of direct approach works well for SMEs particularly because they are able to develop and bring products to market much faster than larger competitors – so they can respond to consumer sustainability demands as they grow and change.

Go off-grid

Another great way for Australian SMEs to embrace sustainability is to transition their facilities to off-grid electrical generation. Today, that’s becoming a much more attractive option, after several recent incidences of power disruptions have affected business customers throughout the country. North Queensland SME Linked Group Services recently deployed an off-grid solar system for their main facility, which now supplies them with all the power they need to operate. As a renewable solutions consultancy, they also tout their efforts to customers both to highlight their commitment to sustainability and to demonstrate to potential customers how effective such solutions can be.

Ready for the future

As the consequences of environmental mismanagement continue to add up and become apparent, it is all but certain that the demand for sustainable business operations isn’t going away soon. For that reason (and also because it’s the right thing to do), SMEs can take steps toward building the kinds of resilient, environmentally-friendly operations that today’s consumers now expect without fear that they’re expending precious effort on a short-term trend.

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With smaller, more nimble structures than their larger competitors, they can also do it faster and more efficiently than their market peers. With those realities as a backdrop, the only question that remains is why any SME would continue to wait to roll out sustainability strategies – and the only answer may be that those that delay do so only at their own peril.

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