It is no secret that the world is currently facing severe environmental issues such as water and waste pollution, deforestation and wildfires. It is an issue that governments and industries must find lasting solutions for, but some are further along than others. By making more environmentally conscious choices, both at home and in the workplace, we can reduce the impact we have on the planet. A new study by packaging supplier RAJA has revealed the countries home to the most sustainable companies.
The most eco-conscious countries
Which country is the most committed to change? The United States of America comes in first, with 17 mentions in the Global 100 index from Corporate Knights, which ranks the most sustainable businesses.. Reasons for this include the U.S. government offering financial incentives such as tax breaks to encourage companies to become more sustainable in how they run their business. Currently, there are over 40 federal policies in place, such as grants and loans that businesses can benefit from when they make more environmentally conscious choices. These incentives are vital as further research uncovered that even though the U.S. has 5 per cent of the global population, it is accountable for 30 per cent of the global energy usage and 25 per cent of carbon emissions. So, more sustainable practices are crucial to implementing lasting change.
Coming in closely behind the U.S. is their neighbour, Canada, with 12 highly-ranked green companies on the list. The Canadian government revealed oil and gas make up 26 per cent of all greenhouse gases emitted by the nation and transportation is responsible for an additional 25 per cent. In attempts to reduce their contribution to greenhouse gases, they introduced incentives to help businesses go green. One way of doing this was by bringing in the Climate Action Incentive Fund to provide small and medium-sized businesses with financial incentives of between $25k – $250k to reduce the cost of introducing eco-friendly business practices. With renewable energy and advanced technologies like electric vehicles, it is cheaper and easier for companies to go green. This is why the incentive includes swaps to energy-efficient vehicles and fitting of renewable energy systems for heating and cooling the building.
Industries making strides in sustainability
A lack of sustainability in business can alienate prospective customers, with consumers becoming more intolerant of brands that fail to implement greener practices. The financial sector seems to understand the importance of sustainability, with 12 green companies on the index, making banking the most eco-conscious industry. Going green is not just about reducing climate change, it can also positively impact brand reputation, meet government regulatory requirements on reducing its carbon footprint and ultimately drive customer satisfaction.
In second position is the biopharmaceutical industry, with 7 companies featuring on the index. This sector is making strides in becoming more sustainable by using innovative processes such as pigging systems, a process designed to massively reduce waste by recovering the residual liquid, decreasing the amount of cleaning agents used and preventing unnecessary water waste. By taking additional steps to recover excess product they not only improve their profit margins by recovering more product which can be sold, but they also reduce their contribution to climate change.
Tips to be more sustainable
The responsibility to make better environmental choices to reduce the impact of climate change does not solely fall on businesses. Everyone plays an important role in helping the planet and simple swaps or changes to daily routines can help to reduce climate change. From reusing items, to saving energy and shopping consciously, here are some helpful tips you can implement to make a lasting change:
- Buy items that are recyclable or reusable so they can live another life.
- Use left-over fruit, vegetables or eggshells to make your own compost and reduce the amount of waste going to a landfill.
- Check if every item is recyclable before you bin it. From clothes to batteries or even an old bike, see if there’s a possibility to reuse or recycle it.
- Save money and energy by turning your electronic items off and don’t leave them on standby – it’s a simple way to reduce energy waste.
- Switch to LED lights. These bulbs last longer than any regular bulb so you’ll be using less energy and replacing them less, too.
- Try to mend and repair items to get extra use out of them before they go to the recycling centre.
Invest in better quality products that will last longer so you don’t have to rebuy as frequently.
