If you turn a business it can be easy to get carried away with boosting your bottom line, whatever it takes, that your ethics end up taking a backseat. When this happens, you might feel great about your business success but you will probably feel terrible about yourself. The good news is, there are lots of fairly easy things you can do to make your business more ethical right now and not only are they unlikely to negatively impact your bottom line, but they may even boost it! So, let’s take a look at a few of them now.
By Team Savant
Image: Alexandru Acea
Buy from Local Suppliers
Whether you buy the freshest ingredients for your restaurant from Wanis Cash and Carry or you hire a local person to clean your offices, the more you buy from local suppliers, the smaller your company’s carbon footprint is likely to be, and the more local people you hire, the more money you are putting back into the local economy that supports you.
Many people also prefer to buy from companies that support their local communities, so by doing this, you can also get some good PR for your business too.
Buy from Ethical Suppliers
Of course, you are going to want to ensure that your suppliers are also ethical, whether that means they are 100 percent vegan or that they only use sustainable cotton. In order to ensure your suppliers are as ethical as possible, it is a good idea to visit their factories, talk to the employees and ask as many questions as you can about the way they operate. This will give you the best possible idea of who they really are and how they do business.
Pay a Living Wage
This may be difficult when you were just starting out but if you can find a way to pay your employees a living wage, then not only will your business be more ethical. But your employees will feel happier and more supported, which means they will be loyal to your business and probably much more productive too.
Recycle and Use Recycled
A really easy way to improve your company’s ethical credentials is to set up a recycling scheme in your workplace. Aim to stop offering drinks and snacks in disposable packages and ensure that you have recycling bins for as much of your company waste as possible.
If you can, you should also try to use recycled products, like paper and pens, in the office and ideally, in the manufacture of your goods too. Every little helps.
Be Honest and Transparent
Being honest and transparent at all times, even when nobody is paying attention is a surefire way to boost your ethical credentials. It will also ensure that you are trustworthy in the eyes of the public, and trustworthy companies ate always popular companies because no one likes a liar.
So, sure, sing about your ethical credentials, but don’t embellish or downright lie about them because greenwashing just doesn’t wash and you will be found out.
As you can see, it’s easy to be ethical, even in business!