What’s on your business agenda for 2023? Growth? Expansion? Trying to maintain the status quo amid surging costs?
Sustainability was probably on the list at some stage but may have taken a back seat as other more pressing matters take precedent, which is understandable. The problem with that is that sustainability is still very much front of mind with your customers, and they are making purchasing decisions based on how sustainable they feel your business is right now.
According to the 2022 Global Sustainability Study published by Simon Kucher & Partners in October 2022, “71% of global consumers are making changes to the way they live and the products they buy in an effort to live more sustainably.”
And that’s not all.
“75% of global consumers feel that environmental sustainability is as important or more to them now than it was last year. Additionally, 66% of consumers rank sustainability as one of the top five drivers behind a purchase decision – up from 50% last year.”
“The shift to more sustainable practices is now inevitable. Similarly, to the embrace of technology over the last century, embracing the shift will be non-negotiable for companies who wish to stay relevant.”
Small steps can make a really big difference, set up a committee internally, with a representative from each department that meets monthly to audit products, services, and processes to see how they can be improved from a sustainability point of view. Make sure each department representative has at least one action for their team or department from each meeting and that it is investigated and implemented where possible before the next meeting.
Look at the most basic things first. Resealing windows and doors, changing to LED lightbulbs and automatic switches or switching energy providers will contribute to a reduction in energy bills, also hugely relevant for the bottom line at the moment with prices soaring. A lot of these things can be done cheaply and quickly with minimum spend – these are the easy wins, low hanging fruit.
Create a basic green policy for your business which can be used by employees as guidance document for best practice. This is the first step to influencing attitudes and behaviours. Treat this policy as a working document which can be tweaked and added to as needed. Use it to make sure employees know what’s expected of them in relation to segregating waste, turning off lights, switching off devices and managing the thermostat. Avoid making a list of ‘rules’. Use the document to explain what the knock-on effect is if everyone leaves their computers switched on for a full month or windows are left open while the thermostat is on high.
When you’ve taken care of all of the easy wins, the next step is to identify larger areas that can be made more sustainable – areas that might need more time, attention or spend to bring up to scratch such as the suppliers you work with, the products you sell, the packaging you use and the services you offer and how they are delivered. For example, do you have a fleet of company vehicles? Are they electric or could they be upgraded?
Audit these areas one by one, make recommendation to the decision makers in the business and then move on to the next one.
According to Euromonitor, companies are spending the most on the development of sustainable products, followed closely by waste / recycling practices and employee support programmes.

How Stacked Can Help
Request a Green Review – Your Account Manager can suggest cost-effective and eco-friendly alternatives to your most frequently ordered Business Supplies products.
Choose Environmentally Friendly Cleaning Products – We have several ranges of eco-friendly cleaning products, most recently added is a new eco cleaning brand Greenspeed.
THE GREENSPEED WAY
“We have been offering high-quality cleaning solutions for more than 20 years. And we test our products against quantifiable efficiency criteria. We are passionate about cleaning and give our all to create innovative cleaning products. And we care about human health too. Our products contain no unnecessary hazardous substances. We at Greenspeed are industry innovators, constantly improving the efficiency, sustainability and user-friendliness of our cleaning products. All of our products are produced in an ecological factory for minimal impact on the environment.”
Managed Print Solutions – Implementing a Managed Print Solution can help you to ensure that your print and scan devices are optimised to use the least amount of energy possible. They are also fully supported remotely and regularly updated with the latest software and apps, allowing you to enforce print policies, reduce wastage and offset pages printed through local reforestation programmes.
Switch to Stacked Remanufactured Ink Cartridges – Our toner cartridges are produced by recycling OEM toner cartridges, reducing waste plastic going to landfill.
Reduce Energy Consumption – Allowing employees to work from home for part of the week may allow you to reduce your energy consumption or even move to a smaller space! We can help with everything you need for your home office set up as well as evaluating and upgrading your existing video conferencing set up to ensure your meetings are as engaging as possible.