Small Business Sustainability Made Simple: Insights from ClimeCo's Senior Manager, Anna O'Brien

Learn about the simple approach to small business sustainability with Anna O’Brien, ClimeCo’s Re-Seller Programs, Senior Manager. Sustainability is crucial to long-term success for businesses. According to a recent study, 74 percent of consumers care about the environmental impact of the products they purchase, and 68 percent are willing to pay more for them. Integrating sustainable practices into your business plan can also produce substantial non-environmental benefits, including increased profitability, efficient use of resources, reputational gains, perceived leadership and improved access to capital.

Businesses are showing record interest in enhancing their sustainability efforts to be more competitive. Large companies have stepped forward to formulate and announce robust ESG strategies and carbon neutrality goals. Others have overhauled their business processes to significantly reduce or eliminate waste, embrace alternative energy options, rethink their supply chain and distribution networks, reformulate products and leverage large-scale carbon credits to create immediate impact.

74% of consumers care about the environmental impact of the products they purchase, and 68% are willing to pay more for them.

Unfortunately, small businesses, representing nearly 99 percent of all companies worldwide, have struggled to discover how to positively impact climate change. The process can be overwhelming and many do not know where to begin.

ClimeCo, the leading global decarbonisation and environmental solutions company, offers a range of customisable solutions that cut through the clutter and make it easy to set and achieve your sustainability goals. Every business, regardless of size or industry, can play a role in fighting climate change. ClimeCo specialises in “meeting companies where they are” on their sustainability journey, whether they’re a small business just getting started or a high-profile player looking for a customised program and/or project.

ClimeCo is proud to be THE small business sustainability partner for those looking to understand the emissions their business creates and purchase the necessary carbon credits to offset those emissions. Other solutions ClimeCo provides to help businesses include tree planting services, plastic footprint mitigation, conducting full lifecycle audits, meeting third-party certification requirements and establishing ESG policies and procedures.

Start by understanding you businesses carbon footprint

For most companies, the journey starts with understanding their carbon footprint. ClimeCo’s website offers a user-friendly business emissions calculator that determines how many credits a business needs to offset its carbon footprint or specific parts of its business. We also allow businesses to choose from our expansive portfolio of verified and fully vetted environmental project options. Our EcoCommitted Partner Program is specifically designed for companies of 1-20 employees and is an “easy button” for small businesses that want a convenient and cost-effective way to get started. The EcoCommitted Partner Program also includes a badge that users can display prominently to demonstrate their commitment to the environment and gain traction among the large percentage of consumers who prefer eco-friendly products and providers.

Identify your sustainability goals and budget

The next step in the process is to identify and articulate sustainability goals and budget constraints. Our team of knowledgeable and friendly consultants works directly with these businesses to determine their needs and how to efficiently and economically achieve those objectives. ClimeCo can help offset a portion of specific areas of your business or the entirety, including shipping, travel, or events. You can choose projects from a host of verified, proven and carefully selected project options or allow us to choose for you. In short, working with ClimeCo enables you to make a difference at whichever level of involvement you desire.

Evaluate and address your product’s “cradle-to-grave” life cycle

Another core service option is the ClimeCo Certification Program. ClimeCo can assist manufacturing businesses of all sizes or those requiring third-party certification to sell through outlets like Amazon and Wayfair to further their sustainability efforts. The ClimeCo Certified Product Program thoroughly evaluates a product’s “cradle-to-grave” life cycle. It calculates the product’s carbon footprint value while implementing measures to continually assess and reduce the footprint before neutralising those emissions. Similarly, ClimeCo’s Certified Business Program ensures the carbon footprint generated by regular business activities can be easily mitigated by creating a program tailored to each customer’s specific needs and objectives.

ClimeCo helps small businesses scale their sustainability efforts as they grow and progress. Each client is assigned a live human account representative to handle questions, assess concerns and check in periodically for assistance. ClimeCo provides the tools, terminology and tactics for small businesses to understand the process, reach their goals and reap the benefits of positively impacting the environment. ClimeCo specializes in making sure each customer makes the best choices, understands and has a solid working knowledge of how to accurately communicate and promote their efforts.

ClimeCo provides this level of service because we are committed to the fight against climate change and want to make it as easy as possible for everyone to make a positive impact. ClimeCo welcomes questions and invites anyone curious to learn more to reach out via our website to learn how simple it is to make strides in sustainability. No question is too small and no concern is too big to be addressed.

Climate change is a pressing challenge that requires everyone to contribute to the solution. Small businesses are a critical piece of the puzzle and it is much less difficult to get started than most businesses anticipate. ClimeCo manages each step of the process, empowering change and encouraging incremental but impactful contributions.