Concern for the environment is also a demand on the part of consumers and can be a differential for your business to invest in green IT.
Do you know what green technology is? This expression is not new and it is increasingly being used by large companies in an attempt to get closer to their consumers. The idea behind the concept is to incorporate concern for the environment in the management of a company.
In this sense, we can talk about measures to reduce energy consumption, recycling and the adoption of responsible practices with the environment, just to mention a few examples. More than a simple corporate social responsibility, being a “green company” is also a way of creating a market differential for consumers. After all, as former GE president Jeff Immelt would say, “green is green,” in an allusion that money is green too.
Consumers increasingly aware
Much of this concern for the environment is due to consumer awareness. They understood that they have the strength and a decisive role in the decisions that companies make. Therefore, being ecologically correct ended up becoming a competitive advantage for brands and the more they give back to the environment, the more media attention they receive.
On the other hand, in an increasingly competitive business scenario, reducing raw material expenses is one of the main pillars for reducing operating costs. In this way, one thing complements the other: consumers demand less wasteful companies and companies want to be more efficient in order to be more competitive.
Technology as a driver of conscious consumption
Information is the keyword for consumers to assess what they are buying. If a company is polluting or does not care about the social context in which it is inserted, then it appears to be displaced from the reality in which customers live. This characteristic ends up weighing negatively against the brand when choosing a product.
Likewise, companies can adopt more efficient control tools through software and data analysis to reduce time spent on tasks and waste of raw materials and energy. The search for materials that are less aggressive to the environment has also become a constant in the modern world.
Going beyond law enforcement
The environmental laws of countries, especially in Europe, have also changed over the last few decades in order to adapt to the new reality that society expects. Therefore, companies that are thinking about ways to export should also be aware of the places where the rules are stricter.
This ends up being reflected in national production, which, even though it does not need to comply with certain requirements due to legislation, ends up evolving and being more rigid in its processes, aiming to adapt to a greater number of potential exporters.
With this, the consumer wins, who has access to better quality products and the certainty that actions are being taken to minimize environmental impacts.
Small businesses can also participate in this process.
You don’t need to be responsible for a large corporation to take steps that can minimize environmental impacts. Obviously, when dealing with large companies the impacts are greater — for better or for worse — but that does not mean that their part is expendable or less important.
If you focus your purchases on a smaller number of suppliers, it will also reduce your environmental impact. For example, if you buy all your office items from an Accountant, it’s a single delivery, made by a single supplier, in a single car, in a single package. If you choose 3 suppliers, there will be 3 cars, that is, a larger number of boxes/packaging that will consequently increase pollution.
In addition, simple measures such as turning off electronic equipment when they are not in use or taking care of the maintenance of your computers will help them to have a longer useful life. With greater durability, you increase the life cycles of each machine and help to minimize waste.
Your used equipment can also be donated to welfare institutions, which will be able to make good educational use of components and machines that are stopped in your warehouse. Using good quality office supplies is another smart way to participate in this process: with greater durability, they will make your budget more profitable.
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