Making Balanced & Environmentally Friendly Purchasing Decisions

Once your business has established its own greener strategies, by reducing the amount of waste produced and recycling as much as possible to divert waste stream from landfill, the next logical step is to examine your purchasing decisions upstream and downstream to explore the possibility of making continued improvements.

Trading with other businesses who share the same green ethos with you and choosing to invest in their products and services over others with less environmentally friendly credentials supports those who are in accord with you, in terms of their attitude towards social and environmental considerations.

Green Products and Services Offer A Competitive Alternative

The ultimate goal of most businesses is to make money, so it is easy to see why price tends to be the driving factor in the majority of purchasing decisions. There is a common misconception that green products and services always cost more than the more conventional alternatives. In the past this was frequently the case, but thankfully things have changed for the better.

These days companies offering green products and services are more competitively priced than ever before and providing you are prepared to look, you will often be able to identify green products and services that cost the same and perform as well or better than the mainstream competition.

There are so many, ways to apply your green ethos to your purchasing decisions, here are just a few ideas, which we hope will inspire you to make your business even more sustainable…

Buy Less

Purchasing less of something or using less is perhaps the most straightforward way to make your purchasing more sustainable. Reducing the amount of paper you use in the office, banning bottled water or opting to purchase used and refurbished furniture, machinery or supplies for your business rather than buying new are a few examples of the ways you could apply this theory to your own workplace.

Choose Recycled

Look for products that have been manufactured using recycled materials. When purchasing paper, business cards, stationary, packaging, flooring or anything else, choose green products and support other green businesses.

In the food industry, a growing number of outlets are turning to more environmentally friendly solutions to replace throwaway packaging and utensils. The more companies who follow suit and take responsibility for their businesses impact on the environment, the cheaper these greener products will become.

Building and Renovating Your Bricks & Mortar Premises

When carrying out any kind of construction or renovation on your business premises you have the perfect opportunity to go green from the floor up. Choose eco friendly materials and suppliers, FSC certified wood, non-toxic carpets and paints, reclaimed materials etc…

Rent or Share Equipment

Renting or sharing equipment can be a cost effective way for your business to gain access to essential equipment and save money at the same time. As well as avoiding the expense of acquisition, you also eliminate the issue of having to dispose of the equipment when it eventually needs to be replaced.

Assessing The Whole Picture

Making a green purchasing decision involves looking beyond the now and examining the whole picture, factoring in the quantity of energy that has been spent on the sourcing, manufacture and distribution of a product. Looking at the whole picture is important as it enables us to consider the natural resources that were impacted during these stages prior to purchase.

Finally yet importantly, purchasing green involves weighing up the quality of a product, to make sure it will have a lengthy lifespan, rather than breaking and requiring a replacement in no time at all. The ultimate disposal at the end of a products lifespan is a crucial consideration in any sustainable purchasing decision.

Increasing The Demand For Green Products & Services

Ultimately a greater demand, will lead to improved availability, supply and pricing. So by doing your bit and consciously making greener purchasing decisions, slowly but surely, we can collectively make a positive change for the better.

Find Out More

We’ve got lots of blogs on being green and you may or may not know that we also have a short video available that gives a quick introduction to our services. Why not take a quick look and see whether Phoenix might be able to help your company go green.