What Is A Green Company?

We have all heard the term “green company”, but have you ever asked yourself “What is a green company?”. If you have, you are not alone. Although most of us can identify that it has something to do with the environment, many people do not know much about green companies beyond that. However, there is so much more to companies that are considered green.

The basics

At their core, green companies adopt principles that are consistent with being what average people consider environmentally friendly. Green companies aim to improve the lives of their customers, employees, communities, and the environment through their actions and choices.

Green companies have a sense of responsibility

Green companies act in socially and environmentally responsible ways. They constantly challenge themselves to conduct business in a way that both benefits society and helps the environment. Green companies work for economic justice as well as taking steps to save the environment. They also work toward making the world a better place through promoting community health and development.

Green businesses care for their workers

People who own green businesses know that their workers are a major key to their success. They use honest methods of hiring their employees and producing their products. Green companies also know the value of their workers and compensate them with fair wages and generous benefits.

Green companies protect their customers

Green companies use only safe ingredients. They also provide goods and services that help to sustain agriculture and find positive alternatives that improve the community in which they are located.

Green companies improve their communities

Green companies take definite steps to make sure their facilities are not polluting the air and water. However, their efforts to improve the community go far beyond that. Green companies are often located in areas that are considered marginalized such as inner-city neighborhoods and rural locations. Their presence and efforts make great contributions to making these places better and more accessible. They also offer employment opportunities for the people who live there and enable them to be active consumers in their own neighborhoods. Green companies in these locations bring dignity and respect that might not have otherwise been paid to these areas.

Green companies produce green products

Part of being a green business is producing products that are considered green. They evaluate their production processes and make changes that have a positive impact on the environment. They take a “triple bottom line” approach, which indicates that they have a three-pronged organization model that focuses on people, the planet and profit. They have benchmarks in place to assure their practices and policies are environmentally friendly. They think beyond the bottom line and include society and the environment in their business decisions. Green Marketing TV has identified some ways green companies work toward their goal:

• They make conscious decisions to conserve water in their business practices. Not only do they reduce their own consumption, but they also make products that consume less water.
• They build energy conservation into their daily business practices and long-term plans.
• They reduce their solid waste production and practice recycle. Through every step of a process, a green company will reduce as much solid waste as possible and plans to recycle the waste that cannot be prevented.
• They include pollution prevention in their business plans. They reduce the amount of toxins that go into their products, mitigate the toxins at the end of the process, and create toxin-free products.

Green companies conduct eco-friendly operations

Businesses that are not producers or manufacturers can also be considered green companies. Although the principles are the same, their practices and operations are a bit different. Businesses that operate out of an office space can be considered green by practicing the following standards:

• Green office buildings make efforts to minimize the energy consumption by the people in the building. The owner and other decision makers make environmentally-conscious choices regarding the heating and cooling systems, install low-energy lighting, and put energy-conserving policies in place.
• They reduce the amount of waste that is produced by minimizing packaging waste and ordering in bulk quantities. Employees use less paper and fewer disposables.
• They enact company policies to reduce water consumption by everyone in the building.
• They enact eco-friendly landscaping methods, use green cleaning supplies and try to offset any carbon emissions that are created to reduce their pollution output.

Green companies use solar power

One of the biggest drains on the environment is the excessive use of electricity. Converting to solar energy is a great way for a company to make strides toward being green. Solar energy requires almost no maintenance after it has been installed and it is incredibly reliable. Further, companies that convert to solar energy can easily reduce their operating costs and have increased marketing opportunities. Many companies that convert to solar energy see an increase in business opportunities as a direct result of the decision. The fact that they rely on natural power is a tangible sign to their clients and customers that they are making a commitment to positively impact the environment and the community.

Being a green company takes lots of hard work and dedication. However, the benefits it provides to the people who are in any way affected by the company as well as the environment make it all worthwhile.

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