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How to market your green activities as a smaller business

Becoming a sustainable smaller business can bring benefitsLink opens in a new window – from reducing waste and lowering operating costs to complying with regulations and attracting investors.

Marketing your green credentials can give your business a competitive edge – but you need to be careful to avoid conveying a false impression or providing misleading information when promoting your actions to tackle environmental concerns.

A sustainable business has adapted its processes, operations and supply chain to reduce its environmental impact, such as by reducing carbon emissions or finding alternatives to single-use plastics.

It's important to show other businesses, customers, stakeholders and employees the steps you are taking to improve sustainable practices.

Green credentials can help boost your reputation and attract investment.

A study by YouGovLink opens in a new window has found that just over half (52%) of UK adults are influenced by the green credentials of a brand.

It may make a difference to your business if you know how to market your sustainable actions.

Credibility and authenticity are key.

Your actions to reduce your business's environmental impact should be legitimate to avoid being accused of greenwashing.

Greenwashing is the false implication that a company is environmentally conscious. It sometimes involves deceptive marking to persuade and attract consumers.

The BBC has compiled a guide to examples of business greenwashingLink opens in a new window.

Benefits of marketing your green credentials

Pursuing sustainability objectives is great for the environment and can also benefit your business in the following ways:

Research by TotaljobsLink opens in a new window has found that 26% of employees would take a pay cut to move to a company that aims to protect the environment.

50% of those surveyed said they would not consider working for a company that doesn't value sustainability in their practices.

Working together towards a greener future might help employees feel a sense of pride in their work and may engage them to work harder to benefit the environment.

A survey by SkanskaLink opens in a new window reported that moving their facilities to a greener space resulted in 3.5 times fewer sick days taken by employees.

Investors may be attracted to businesses with green credentials.

According to research by Charles StanleyLink opens in a new window, almost half of UK investors (48%) are expected to increase their investments over the next three years in companies that focus on environmental, social and governance factors as part of their operations.

Various grants, schemes and loans for small businesses looking to go greener are available.

Head to gov.ukLink opens in a new window to find financial help and advice.

Customers are becoming more aware of how their buying habits might contribute to the effects of climate change.

According to YouGovLink opens in a new window data, 57% of UK consumers are willing to pay more for a product if it's good for the environment.

How to market your green credentials

Write down your environmental policy and environmental values.

This should detail your business's aims and commitments to going greener.

You can choose to share this internally with your workforce and externally to customers via signage and customer communication.

There are numerous organisations and schemes that have been set up to encourage smaller businesses to publicly pledge efforts to be greener, such as reducing carbon emissions.

Organisations that SMEs can sign up to include:

Engage with customers on social media, follow influential organisations dedicated to tackling climate change, and encourage customers and followers to make a change.

Many smaller businesses have found that offering advice and supportLink opens in a new window to customers to help them make small environmental changes can have a significant impact.

Elia Pearson, the founder of Sea Change Zero WasteLink opens in a new window, says: "A lot of what we do is advice – a lot of our social media isn't about the products we sell, but about the lifestyle and the changes you can make."

The journey to a more sustainable business isn't likely to be completed quickly. Inspire trust through transparency.

This could involve publishing a regular report card that details key metrics such as carbon emissions and transparently charts your progress to meeting targets.

Include the actions and steps your business takes – such as removing single-use plastics from the supply chain – to show stakeholders your commitments.

One way to help promote your credentials is to become certified according to environmental standards.

There are numerous certification bodies, from global organisations such as the Fairtrade FoundationLink opens in a new window and ISOLink opens in a new window to smaller organisations dedicated to sustainability in sectors such as tourism.

Regional support

Enter your postcode to find business support and case studies from businesses from within your region. You'll be taken to our interactive map.

Reference to any organisation, business and event on this page does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation from the British Business Bank or the UK Government. Whilst we make reasonable efforts to keep the information on this page up to date, we do not guarantee or warrant (implied or otherwise) that it is current, accurate or complete. The information is intended for general information purposes only and does not take into account your personal situation, nor does it constitute legal, financial, tax or other professional advice. You should always consider whether the information is applicable to your particular circumstances and, where appropriate, seek professional or specialist advice or support.