Let’s first define what I mean by green business. There are businesses that fall into the green sector such as firms that install solar or geothermal systems, provide recycling or reuse services, or offer green retail products.
Then there are more traditional businesses that want to operate in a sustainable manner. They take a close look at their supply chains and their waste streams to reduce costs and ensure they can continue to operate if there are supply disruptions. They have a strategic plan that encourages their employees to look for better tools, processes, services and products that will meet the ever-changing demands of the marketplace. These firms realize that the majority of Americans prefer to buy goods and processes that are more sustainable and less harmful than options in the past and that we tend to buy from firms that are good corporate citizens.
I believe that both types of businesses will benefit from adopting good, sustainable business practices because this is the key to business growth in the emerging new economy. New tools, practices and policies will be required as many of the old-economy approaches to business, such as focusing only on this quarter’s financial bottom line, become obsolete. Traditional and green-sector firms must explore what it will take to remain successful and relevant into the future, a future with less secure supply chains, highly variable energy costs, and increasing demands from all parts of the globe.
In this blog GreenBusinessMatters.com, we hope to inspire all businesses to become sustainable and will offer suggestions on how you can build organizations that will lead us into a more successful future.
