Broaden your impact as an ethical business

The UK’s National Recycle Week is a campaign to thank the nation’s recyclers for their efforts and encourage people to be ever more thoughtful in their recycling habits. It’s a lovely initiative and reminds us that sustainability is both a collective and individual endeavour.

Recycling however is not the solution to any of the crises we are currently facing (over consumption, exploitative work practices, plastic in the oceans and - obviously - climate) and an ethically based business is about so much more than putting drinks cans in the right bin. 

This got me thinking about things to try which are about as easy as recycling and will have a huge ripple effect in terms of the impact you can have as a company. Crucially though they won’t distract you from your core business activities.

Make your network as diverse as possible. You may be a small company or a one person band, but look at who keeps your business in business. Your contacts, suppliers, contractors and helpers. Even your clients. You might not be able to be a diverse employer but you can always be a diverse thinking company.

Use eco-friendly packaging. I know this is a no-brainer but there are always tweaks you can make. If you’re already using recyclable packaging, try sourcing compostable. If you’re using compostable, see how you can reduce how much you need per transaction. And if you’ve reduced that as far as you can, look into your supplier - this will take a little more work but research what they stand for and how they align with your values. Our supplier network can sometimes be something of a compromise in terms of convenience versus a genuine desire to work with them. But there are constantly new products coming onto the market that might solve your business need and be more satisfactory in terms of their company values… a bit of research can go a long way.  

Donate a % of sales. This is something we can ALL do. (4leaf donates 1.5% of profits to clean energy micro-entrepreneurs in Uganda and is something I’ll increase as both 4leaf and the entrepreneurial outreach grows). You might not make masses but a small contribution to a worthy cause is a. better than nothing and b. is money they probably have to work harder than you to earn.

Be accessible. As we strive to be carbon neutral, zero-waste, vegan, diverse and ambassadors of our cause, we sometimes overlook the physical reality of our space. For those of you that have a ‘real life’ shop front, make sure those less able bodied can actually get in. How can those in wheelchairs or with impaired vision move around the aisles, find what they’re looking for and have a browse. You might have certain planning or spacing constraints but as much as you can make your floor space accessible and inclusive.

Sponsor a local community group. Sponsoring an organisation that’s working to improve your local area is an amazing way to build on your existing ethical business development. It might be a children’s dance club or volunteer clean-up group but whatever you end up finding, you’re contributing directly to the lives of the people around you, adding to your list of potential customers and creating an added layer of appreciation with the customers you already have. 

Lend your space. If you have a little extra room and a community group needs somewhere to meet (possibly the same group as you sponsor??) then why not? It costs you nothing to help out. Obviously mid-Covid we’re all keeping our communities alive over Zoom and giving real people a wide berth but humans are social creatures - we need to see each other face to face, give people hugs and just generally not be behind a screen or mask. Once it is safe then I have no doubt that groups and locally run initiatives will be back to in-person meetings and decision making over cups of tea. I hope so anyway, and perhaps you can lend that space to make those meetings happen.

Be a mentor. Give your time, expertise and experience to someone just starting out or a few rungs of the ladder down from you. It might only be a few hours here and there but it will have an outsized impact on the person you are mentoring. You’ll help them find their confidence, explore ideas they might not have come up with themselves, hone their skills and - ultimately - flourish. You might also learn a few things along the way. 

These are just a few ideas to scale up your social impact without having to scale back on your focus. Obviously you wouldn’t do them all at once but I hope they are thought provoking in terms of providing a new perspective on what might be possible for relatively little effort. As ever I would love to hear your thoughts, your own impact initiatives, what you disagree with and what you might try…