With each and every passing day and week, it seems that more and more businesses and organisations are realising the importance of addressing the climate crisis with every inch of seriousness that it deserves. 

It appears that small and medium-sized businesses up and down the UK – and across the world – are acknowledging that they need to be sustainable and eco-friendly in their actions, not just some aspects of their messaging, if their “green” credentials are to be seen as convincing. 

And of course, that’s excellent news. Even many brands that might have previously felt less need to publicly recognise the crucial role that sustainable practices play in protecting the only planet Earth we have, are now becoming aware that they will lose business competitiveness if they don’t. 

But of course, even if your business knows that it needs to optimise some aspects of the sustainability of its operations, you will also need to consider how to present that element of your organisation to the wider world. 

So, for today’s blog post here at Shredded-Paper.co.uk, we thought we would take a look at some of the best ways to do exactly that.

Don’t take a ‘half-measures’ approach to sustainability – instead, go ‘all in’ 

The fact that you are reading this blog post, indicates that you know how important “the optics” are when it comes to brand eco-friendliness. 

If your organisation is practising certain “green” measures – such as donating to an environmental charity – but is far from sustainable in, for example, the packaging it uses for the goods it delivers to customers, you can expect those customers and other observers to quickly notice it. 

And of course, in today’s highly interconnected world, they will also draw attention to it, through channels such as their social media accounts. 

Now, at this point, you might be thinking… surely, no organisation can be 100% environmentally friendly in everything it does? You might fear being “called out” on certain aspects of your firm’s operations, even if you are working hard to move towards more sustainable practices in the future. 

Well, if that’s the case, our advice would be that you explain this in a sensitive way to your customers. Set out what your brand is doing right now to optimise the eco-friendliness of its operations, and acknowledge where you know your business still needs to make progress.

By communicating openly and honestly like this, your customers will likely appreciate that your business is not “greenwashing” (in other words, suggesting it is “green” in aspects in which it is not). 

Use products in your business operations that are genuinely sustainable 

Of course, what you do in this regard will depend on exactly what your business does. Nonetheless, whether you promote sustainable products in your business’s store, or ensure the materials and products that feed into your organisation’s various processes are eco-friendly, you can be sure that your target customers will notice and appreciate this. 

A great example of such products could be our own natural shredded paper here at Shredded-Paper.co.uk. Many of our customers are e-tail stores or eBay-based businesses that sell a variety of goods online, and that use our shredded kraft paper as “cushioning” for items set to be delivered across the UK or the world.  

And let’s face it – whether your eye has been caught by something like our Gorgeously Green straight-cut paper or perhaps our Lime Green zig-zag-cut offering, these papers are tougher than tissue paper and look a lot better than bubble wrap. Plus, they are made from 100% recycled material, and 100% recyclable in turn. 

Draw upon ‘earthy’ colours in your marketing 

This one might seem a bit “obvious” to some of you, but it’s true that customers do tend to strongly associate “earthy” and “organic” hues with eco-friendliness. 

So, you might want to consider how you can communicate this through your brand’s marketing. It may entail incorporating some green colours into your company logo, using rural imagery on your website and social media channels, or investing in packaging materials in such colours. 

Our Spring 2023 collection of natural shredded paper, for instance, encompasses papers in organic colours like lilac, mint green, yellow, and ice blue.

Share information about your firm’s sustainability efforts on your company blog 

Has your brand been involved in an environmentally focused event lately, or has it collaborated in some form with an organisation that focuses on sustainability issues? Maybe you have made a breakthrough in achieving greater eco-friendliness for certain aspects of your firm’s operations? 

Whatever the exact situation for your business, the above are all great examples of things to communicate on a brand blog. It will also help you to demonstrate that your organisation really does “practise what it preaches” about sustainability. 

Are you looking to take steps right now to optimise the “greenness” of aspects of what your business does? If so, it’s worth remembering that standard delivery of our highly rated and sought-after natural shredded paper in the Shredded-Paper.co.uk online store is free for most UK mainland postcodes.