sustainable business

Can sustainable businesses be profitable?

Businesses have always been contributing to the linear economic mode of production, especially for the past 150 years or so. The definition of a business is (normally) that they are taking raw materials to create their own products, dispose of the waste and then sell the product to turn a profit. Unless you run a service-based business such as a digital marketing agency. In that case, you are using man-power and technology instead.

Today, however, many businesses are going for a more eco-friendly option. Instead of increasing their waste, they are looking for ways to reuse and remanufacturer their goods. Businesses are aiming to find different ways to increase the life of their products and repairing more instead of replacing. This is simply embracing our circular economy more. If you do a quick Google search for sustainable business, you’ll likely find many successful ones (the biggest ones would pay for search marketing services which makes them appear at the top!).

It seems now the circular economy is not just providing businesses with a more eco-friendly approach to their productions, but it also allows for more opportunity to increase profits.

When it comes to development, it is a key part of any type of business. All businesses have long term goals for more profit and improvements. When it comes to sustainable profitability for businesses it simply means that a business provides a product or service that is environmentally friendly while also being profitable. People tend to think that businesses will generally avoid being sustainable to improve profits, but there is some confusion here. The common misconception is the fact that when focused on the expensive green programs, their profit takes the fall. Sustainability and profit are not exactly exclusive. Some say 38% of businesses are generating profit by being sustainable and one in two businesses have adapted their model in order to become more sustainable.

Corporations now plan their strategies with “fighting climate change” in mind and end up securing around an 18% increase in return on their investments, compared to those who don’t implement sustainable practices. 

That said, some companies don’t seem open to becoming more sustainable and they fail to look further than the “here and now”. This can have a negative impact on businesses; as opportunities become more scarce which means it will be harder to get back on track from the setbacks.

The government is supporting environmentally friendly companies with certain incentives, but there’s still an opportunity to push the work standards on emissions and pollution further.

There are companies out there that can help businesses cultivate a world of sustainability within their business. They can aid in bringing in new innovations and to help market for a more global audience. For example, with strategies that are sustainable without worrying about profitability. You want a team that is fully committed to giving you the solutions you need to keep your business growing for the future.

Stay educated about questions in sustainability and understand what “weak” sustainability means. there are some resources that are created for future generations, but nonetheless can be implemented now. Strong sustainability practices, on the other hand, is basically functions of the ecosystems that cannot be replaced by humans. 

The answer to the question “Can sustainable businesses actually be profitable”, the answer is yes, they sure can. But it is important to do the research, and find out where to start and how it will affect you.