Sustainability Trends For 2024 And What Your Business Can Do To Improve Sustainability This Year

2023 was another significant year for climate change. Not only was it the hottest year on record, but it was a particularly wet year too – with higher-than-average rainfall throughout the year. From wildfires in Europe to flooding incidents across the world, the ongoing impact of global warming was clear to see.

These very visible effects are making the need for change even clearer, and many businesses are expected to up their sustainability efforts in 2024. But what trends can we expect to see this year as businesses and organisations look to improve sustainability and boost their environmental policies? We take a closer look.

Realistic goals

While sustainability continues to be an important challenge for businesses, another significant challenge has been the effects of the economy on the cost of living and rising business costs. Even the UK government has revised its approach to reaching net zero in a bid to ‘ease the burden on working people.’ Adjusting goals and setting more realistic targets can help ensure businesses continue to make progress towards sustainability, even during challenging times.

The Three Rs – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle

One thing that businesses can continue to do in 2024 is the three Rs- reduce, reuse and recycle. Cutting down on waste can help businesses reduce their costs and improve sustainability, and adjusting your waste strategies can help with this. Reusing materials is another way to help cut back on waste, or educating your customers on how they can cut back on their wait.

Recycling can have a significant impact on how much your business wastes. Using waste balers and compactors can have a big impact on waste, helping to reduce your overall volume, and can make recycling much simpler. Both large and small businesses can enjoy the benefits of plastic and cardboard balers, and even enjoy some cost savings.

More transparency

The demand for greater sustainability from businesses is increasing. Consumers want more sustainable products and packaging, especially millennials. Consumers are actively seeking out brands based on their sustainability policies, and greater transparency is likely to be one of the key environmental trends in business this year. Making policies clear and accessible is one way to achieve this, as well as reporting back on your progress and achievements.

Corporate social responsibility initiatives

One of the simplest sustainability trends for businesses to adopt this year is to introduce some corporate social responsibility initiatives. This can include sustainable initiatives that contribute to your local community, including clean-ups, litter picking and tree planting.

Slim down your office technology

Technology has changed significantly over the years, and many companies have been cutting back on their office hardware. With the increase in hybrid working since the pandemic, many employees tend to use laptops over desktop computers, choosing more compact solutions to provide flexibility. You could consider slimming down your office technology, and even decrease the amount of tech used in your office if you have moved towards hybrid working.

Take greater steps to cut down on physical waste and improve sustainability

While it’s difficult for some businesses to eliminate waste completely, there are some steps businesses can take to reduce the amount of waste they produce, including:

· Implement comprehensive recycling programmes to help employees dispose of waste effectively.

· Cut down or eliminate single use plastics in the workplace.

· Provide food waste bins to help cut down on food ending up with general waste.

· Work with suppliers who support sustainable initiatives and use more environmentally friendly materials.

· Educate your employees on sustainability and greener waste management and encourage feedback and suggestions from your employees on how you can further ensure sustainability in your workplace and wider practices.

Following sustainability trends – why it matters

Improving your company’s sustainability policies can have a significant impact on your carbon emissions, helping to bring many benefits to the environment. But beyond the environmental aspect, one of the biggest factors to consider is your customers. Consumers are becoming more and more eco-conscious, wanting to do more for the environment and making more responsible purchasing choices.

Research from Deloitte shows that consumers care about having durable, repairable items that are going to last, even more so than they care about the recyclability of a product – which could also be attributed to the cost of living impact on spending. Consumers themselves are having to adhere to stricter guidelines when it comes to recycling and waste management from their local authorities, and being a business that uses recyclable materials can have a big impact on their purchasing choices.

Sustainability shouldn’t come at a cost, and by finding ways to keep products affordable and high-quality, without increasing prices, businesses can do their bit for the environment while also helping their customers make better choices.

Take a greener approach in 2024 with phs Wastekit

Sustainability news is likely to be of key interest to business owners in 2024, as they look to find new and innovative ways to reduce their environmental impact. One of the simplest ways to see the difference you can make is to carry out a waste audit to see where savings can be made and where new sustainable initiatives can be implemented. phs Wastekit has a free wastesaving calculator to help you see how much money you can save using waste balers and other waste-saving measures, while our free wastesaving audit can identify further recommendations for positive changes your business can make.

If you want to take a greener approach to your business or organisation in 2024, contact phs Wastekit today and let us help you make some sustainable changes for the year ahead.