Sustainability is all about cutting back, whether it’s electricity, gas, materials, or packaging. This is basically the same thing as saying sustainability is about being thrifty or, in business terms, efficient!
If companies can figure out how to be more efficient with energy and resources while maintaining the same quality of product, going green enables them to cut costs – which means more profits. The product and process designers, procurement, production, supply chain and pretty much all departments of a company are facing the same challenge!

Nothing makes a business-person smile like getting a tax break. Taking steps towards going green can be a great way for companies to qualify for them. From energy credits to green roof rebates, there are a lot of sustainability-oriented tax incentive programs; but someone needs to identify them and follow up on the processes related to them.

People generally want to feel good about the company they work for. Considering all the political and sociological situation we live in today, this feeling is getting bigger and bigger. They want to have an impact, to be part of a workplace that’s on a mission to help the society (well, maybe they also want to have free food but trust us, that’s short-term happiness). Another reason why companies want to become more sustainable is the need to provide their employees with something to be proud enough to stick around. This can be even more appealing than a slightly better salary offered by another company.

It’s hard for a business to exist if no one wants to buy its product. The firms are catching on to the fact that a lot of potential customers care about sustainability and choose to support the companies that they see as aligned with their values. Since they really don’t want to lose out on business, the more pressure we collectively put on companies the greener they will try to get, improving their products and services.

Let’s be realistic: Whether because we finally pass tighter regulations or because scarcity will eventually drive resources to become too expensive, sooner or later businesses are going to have to orient themselves toward a more sustainable model. Making sustainability a priority now could mean smoother sailing through the future.

This might be hard to believe, but a lot of companies do care about sustainability because they believe that it’s the right thing to do. Which is good news, since businesses are in a prime position to make a difference — so the more companies jump on the environmental bandwagon, the better.