Sustainability In Retail: 7 Ways To Make Your Business More Sustainable

Consumers today are more conscious about supporting sustainable businesses, and your store could be one of them!

Sustainability is more than a conversation about how we can better care for our earth - it’s ensuring more people take action to do so. 

Thus, prioritizing sustainability in your retail practices significantly reduces businesses’ harmful effects on the environment. 

“Going Green” is a strategy that benefits not only the earth but as well as your business. Below are a few helpful ideas to incorporate sustainability into your retail business. 

Using these will also help you connect with your customers, so keep reading to find out more!

7 Sustainable Retail Ideas To Save The Planet

Here are seven ideas you can incorporate into your retail business to do your part in saving our planet. 

1. Sustainable Displays, Advertising, And Decor

To gain clientele, you may invest in new decor and displays to spruce up your store and gain attention. But you can do so with eco-friendly, non-virgin, or recycled items, as these items are more and more catching the eyes of consumers. 

The same goes for advertising- you can promote sustainable practices on your website and social media and sell eco-friendly products. You could also use eco-friendly graphics or barricades outside your store to advertise your products. 

Here at Boston Retail Solutions, we can help you do just that. We believe in sustainability, which is why we offer eco-friendly large-format printing and sustainable barricade systems. Our services will create that buzz you need for your store to attract customers.

2. Eliminate Paper Waste

Second on our list is to eliminate paper waste. Paper production is a huge contributor to deforestation and pollution, and wasting it contributes to 26% of total waste in landfills. 

A few common ways retail stores contribute to paper waste are by printing invoices and count sheets. Using a lot of paper to perform business operations accumulates the amount of paper you waste when you are not recycling them. 

One way to eliminate paper waste is to implement digital operations into your business. Examples include emailing customers their receipts or using scanning apps to manage inventory. 

3. Start Eco-Friendly Deliveries

The fuel and packaging it takes to fulfill orders can harm the environment because of the pollution it creates. Thus, investing in sustainable delivery systems would be worthwhile to reverse that effect.

A few ideas for eco-friendly deliveries are self-delivery, in-house delivery, or you can opt for sustainable third-party delivery services. Sustainable third-party delivery services include FedEx and UPS. 

Self-delivery and in-house allow you to deliver products on your own time with your vehicles. That means you can optimize your delivery schedules by setting specific routes each delivery day to minimize your fuel consumption. 

In turn, your carbon footprint will reduce and save you on costs. 

4. Redesign For A Green Retail Store

Let your consumers know your business is committed to sustainability by redesigning your whole store!

A rebrand into sustainability also means rebranding your store and ensuring that everything in it is eco-friendly.

Ensure that the inclusions in your redesign conserve energy and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. You could do this by opting for solar panels and installing rainwater systems to reduce water consumption. 

Here at Boston Retail Solutions, we can make that transition easier for you. We can help you with 3D site surveys and planning your redesign. We take on the task of capturing, sorting, and sharing the data. Because it’s a 3D survey, it makes for an incredibly immersive experience. 

5. Consider Recycled, Reusable, And Biodegradable Packaging

As a retail business, packaging your products is essential to keep your product safe. Plastic bags are a common packaging source for most retailers, but it is unsafe for our environment.

Using biodegradable, reusable, and recyclable packaging is an optimal, eco-friendly alternative for small and big retail businesses. 

Easy ways to incorporate eco-friendly packaging into your business are to use cardboard boxes or paper bags. You could even source bamboo or seaweed packaging. Both are biodegradable options, or you could use compostable mailers.

Another fantastic alternative for packaging is offering reusable tote bags so your customers can carry them any time they visit any store. 

6. Encourage A Culture Of Recycling

Encouraging a culture of recycling is something all businesses should do. This is an important point to raise because, as a business, you have a lot of influence on what consumers do. 

The obvious way to do this is to include reminder notes on your packaging to reduce, reuse or recycle. 

But we have a few other ways that might incentivize consumers to participate more in recycling culture. 

One way is to show your consumers that you are devoted to being green. You could communicate that you will donate a certain percentage of your profits to environmental charities. 

Another great way to incentivize your customers to recycle is by offering discounts on items. You could also offer cash-back for every item they return for recycling, such as glass bottles or clothes. 

7. Share Your Sustainable Retail Story

Last but certainly not least on our list is to share your sustainable retail story.

Consumers love supporting something related to their morals. So when you share your sustainable journey, you are connecting with them and opening a door for more customer relationships. 

Market your journey well. Be transparent about your message and why you chose to be a sustainable brand. 

And make sure to embrace this journey because being sustainable will only create long-lasting benefits for your business.

Embrace Sustainability in Retail With a Trusted Partner

With all these great ideas, nothing stops you from embarking on a sustainable journey today. The earth needs more retailers like you to help protect our planet! 

And we at Boston Retail Solutions can help you. We have expertise in design, signage, and printing practices, so we can get you started on brand and on time!

Contact us today for more information on how we can implement our services in your business.