Evolve’s second webinar on 30 July saw digital media expert Nikki Webb of Ethicly talk about the advantages of making your business sustainable and how the Covid crisis has influenced consumer desire for more sustainable living.
As with our first webinar featuring life coach Becki Houlston, this one was a very well-received and we’ve had some great feedback from our attendees. If you missed it, or would like to review some of the key points, here are some highlights. The full recorded webinar follows below.
Our next webinar is on 13 August. Alex Graves from Silicon Reef will discuss Microsoft’s remote working tools and how best to utilise them. Click here for more information and to book your place for free.
The (positive) Covid effect
There is a real desire and ambition to be more sustainable and the pandemic is actually placing that more into the front of people’s minds—they really do want businesses to help. Some of the stats we uncovered in a survey were that 89 % of people agreed that the planet had benefitted from the lower emissions during the Covid crisis, and that really showed that people had observed it.
The other thing we uncovered was this real revival in community and local spirit. 81% of respondents felt that, moving forward, they want to try support local businesses. I think that’s critical in the sense that, whilst a lot of our activities moved online, actually there is a real afterthought that we want to remain local, we want our highstreets open, we want our local shops there. So, the opportunity for local businesses to leverage sustainability is a really good thing for future custom.
76% said they wanted brands to help them become more sustainable—they really want businesses to lead the way. But what’s telling is that only 24% believe that brands actually do this.
First thing to do? Make your energy green
One of the best ways to start your move towards sustainability is to switch to green energy. In the UK, we have a fabulous suite of renewable energy suppliers and it’s a really easy process. I know some of you may be in land-lorded buildings but landlords can actually make savings by switching to renewable sources.
I used Bulb. They offer a business package which is 100% renewable electricity and neutral gas. From a digital perspective, I found the switchover to be very pleasing—everything was done online, it was incredibly simple; everything was managed really well and the communication level from that brand is superb.
Since the switch, I’ve saved about 30% on my bills.
Join the club—it’s really friendly!
The over-arching finding that I’ve had from starting Ethicly is that once you’re in this world and you’re doing it differently and you are honed in on the planet and the ethical side of business, it’s a really friendly club. The other interesting thing is you end up speaking to people that have such linked values and the conversations become really, really easy; there’s this community spirit that wants sustainable businesses to take over the world!
So as part of going sustainable, you can reap benefits from business contacts as well as consumer contacts. So far I’m finding it very useful both in introductions and transferring those contacts into business.
Summary of actions to make your business sustainable
- Evolve your mission
- Switch to green energy
- Work with flexibility
- Go carbon neutral
- Recycle waste better
- Ditch bad plastics
- Source sustainably
- Go the extra mile
- Market your difference
Download Nikki’s full report here.