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Tips for Green and Fair Trade Retailers
By Juan Portillo of Handmade Expressions
In the last post I gave the general public tips on how to be more socially and environmentally responsible. Now, here are 5 tips to make your retail/wholesale operations more environmentally friendly: 5 tips to make your business more socially and environmentally responsible 1. Choose to use compostable plastic for product bags and wrapping
The fair trade philosophy promotes environmental sustainablity. Therefore, all of us should adopt environmentally friendly business practices in as many aspects of our businesses as possible. Because of this, Handmade Expressions is researching for ways to wrap and protect the products in plastic that bio-degrades. We know that the transition from conventional plastic to sustainable plastic can be costly and time consuming, so make sure it's a gradual transition that won't hurt your business too much. However, this doesn't mean that it should not be in your plans! As a first step, here are some sources of compostable plastic:
* Trellis Earth wholesale compostable bags
* World Centric Bioplastic Products
* EcoSafe Degradable Plastic solutions
2. Make re-usable, cotton shopping bags available to your customers
We believe that natural cotton bags with 100% natural dyes make the best re-usable shopping bags. They are far more durable than paper or plastic bags (thus more eco-friendly), and our eco-shopper bags are far more attractive as well! They’re more environmentally friendly than synthetic bags too, since it takes fewer resources to make them and are safer for your groceries.
3. Choose ground shipments over air shipments
When it comes to distributing products around North America, ground shipments burn less fuel than air shipments, therefore having a smaller impact on the environment. They may take longer to reach you, but if you expedite too many shipments then the environment is paying a high price. According to an article titled "Ship it, ship it good" in www.grist.org, "aircraft transport boasts greater fuel consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions per ton-mile than any other mode of transport. And their emissions' negative impacts are amplified due to the high altitude where they occur." Of course, it's understandable that sometimes air shipments are necessary, but reserve these for emergencies.
4. Encourage environmental responsibility in your office/store
If you and other people you work with are committed to fair trade or social responsibility in general, then you should consider adopting environmentally friendly practices in your day-to-day operations. For example, try to recycle the paper used in your office, try to encourage the sharing of information over digital media rather than paper, buy office supplies made of recycled materials, carpool with co-workers, and brew fair trade coffee at the office. By projecting an image of sustainability you will increase your customers' trust in your company and improve your internal marketing. 5. Attend a Fair Trade event on World Fair Trade Day.
The Fair Trade Resource Network has a list of events in your area. Show your support for fair trade and environmental sustainability by participating as an organization. This can improve your company's image and it will raise awareness for this sustainable business model. Finally, on this special day we would like to thank you for your support of our company and our cause. |
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