Five Ways of Thinking to Make Your Business More SustainableSmall Business Planet Series

The role of business in the 21st century is to solve problems for people and the planet while generating a profit. A key part of this journey will involve developing a business model that is regenerative by design instead of one that destructs and extracts from the natural environment, people, and other living species. This article will explain how the circular economy can help and introduce 'five ways of thinking' to support you in developing a more sustainable and circular business model.

B Corp - What's it all about?Small Business Planet Series

COP26Small Business Planet Series

Glasgow is currently gearing up to host COP26, an event which has been hailed by Prince Charles as a 'last-chance saloon' in the fight against climate change. It's a chance for country leaders and representatives to unite and discuss an ever-pressing issue that is becoming impossible to ignore.

But what exactly is COP26? Why is it important? And what can be done as individuals and business owners to ensure we're doing everything we can to ensure a greener future.

Discover, Decide, Do - A 3-Step Process to Making Your Small Business More SustainableSmall Business Planet Series

This article will walk you through a 3-step process to start making your business more sustainable, but before we get going let's look at these questions.

What do Carbon Taxes Mean for Your business?Small Business Planet Series

The idea of Carbon Tax is simple: the more carbon you produce, the more tax you pay.

However, so far we've only seen these really applied to big industries. What will they mean for you as a small business owner?

Before we get too stuck into the details of carbon taxes, let's take a step back.

How to Build a CSR Policy for your Small BusinessSmall Business Planet Series

Most businesses leave a footprint on the environment. Our carbon emissions affect the planet significantly, as they are the greenhouse gas with the highest emissions levels in the atmosphere. This, of course, causes global warming and, ultimately, climate change. It is even more important to consider how best to manage this impact. While the definition of what Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) means varies, there is an overall recognition that it is an approach to the sustainable development challenges and how businesses manage their processes to deliver positive economic, social and environmental benefits for all stakeholders.

Go Net Zero For Your Business - Not just the EnvironmentSmall Business Planet Series

With all of this talk of Net Zero, it's easy for it to become overwhelmed and feel like it's yet another chore to do.

With new terminology to learn, changes to your business to make and communicating it all with your customers, it's a bit of a challenge.

However, the reality is far more exciting. The transition to Net Zero offers a huge amount of opportunity to grow your business in a more sustainable way - and I'm not just talking environmentally.

You can absolutely build a better business which is more resilient to external shocks, attract more customers and increase profits while achieving Net Zero.

Let's run through some of the benefits to your business, and give you reasons to embrace the opportunity ahead of us, even if you're not too environmentally conscious.

The 4 Areas of Business to Focus on in 2021 to Become a More Sustainable BusinessSmall Business Planet Series

We're on a mission to help small businesses become more sustainable. But Sustainability can be confusing, can't it? What counts as sustainable? Is it always about being environmentally friendly? Does what I do make a difference? As small businesses, we have many questions, and it can be challenging to find a straightforward answer.

One thing is for sure, small businesses (all 5.8 million in the UK) play a vital role in achieving Sustainability. An excellent framework to assist us as SME's is the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The Sustainable Development Goals or Global Goals are a collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a "blueprint for achieving a better and more sustainable future for all".

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were born at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro in 2012. The objective was to produce a set of universal goals that meet the urgent environmental, political and economic challenges facing our world.

These goals have the power to create a better world by 2030 by ending poverty, fighting inequality and addressing the urgency of climate change. Guided by the goals, it is now up to all of us, governments, businesses, civil society and the general public to work together to build a better future for everyone.

Should you Change Your Plastic Packaging?Small Business Planet Series

As small business owners, you're more aware than most of your customers' feedback and concerns around plastic packaging. Awareness from TV campaigners have resulted in a greater consumer concern over the amount of plastic being used.

However it's important to distinguish between plastic pollution and carbon emissions. The two are often conflated which has led to some common misconceptions that simply avoiding plastic will reduce your carbon footprint.

It's a bit more complicated than that (isn't it always!). In this article we'll be giving practical advice on how all you retailers out there can reduce your carbon footprint and plastic packaging.

7 ways your small business can work in a more sustainable waySmall Business Planet Series

When people say innovation is the solution to global warming, what they really mean is that entrepreneurs are the solution to global warming.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are at the forefront of saving the environment.

We have a huge part to play in the race to rein in our global greenhouse gas emissions; to keep global temperatures from rising more than 1.5°C in the next ten years, per IPCC recommendations.

What is Net Zero?Small Business Planet Series

Since 2018, searches for the term "Net Zero" have increased 3,000%. The speed of this term arriving in business circles and the media has left a lot of founders and owners confused.

So, what is Net Zero, and what do you need to know about it?

How to Get Started with Net-Zero as a Small BusinessSmall Business Planet Series

Firstly, take a deep breath.

Net Zero is a big topic and we won't solve it overnight. As the saying goes, the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.

Below are a few ways to make working towards Net Zero your daily habit.