In my first two installments ‘Powered by the Wind‘ and ‘Waste? What Waste?‘ I talked a lot about saving energy and materials. In this third part I want to highlight how businesses can be greener by thinking carefully about where they buy.

PART 3 – BE A SMART CONSUMER

I remember hearing a news report a little while ago which said that whilst people regularly buy environmentally friendly and ethical products for their homes they didn’t do the same for the workplace. I couldn’t help wondering why – its just as easy to be a smart, ethical consumer at work and the wealth of suppliers out there prove it.

Here at Make Hay, our ethical web design company, we always aim to choose suppliers who have positive green credentials. This includes all aspects of running our business from the stationery we use and the equipment in the office to the advertising we buy and banking.

Finding green or ethical suppliers only takes a little research and the great news is that it’s getting easier all the time. As more and more eco providers come into existence the more choices we have and vitally the greater clout ethical business can have in the market. I’ve always believed you can make a big statement about the things that are important to you by using your consumer power – this includes where you do and don’t spend your money.

Equipment & Stationery

With regard to office stationery there are many, many companies that now offer recycled items and vegetable ink printing. Just put ‘green stationery’ or ‘green printing’ into Google and you’ll be spoilt for choice! Here at Make Hay we use The Green Stationery Company for all of our recycled paper products as well as pens, diaries and so on.

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts buying second hand or using Freecycle is one of the greenest ways to shop. However, if you need to purchase new equipment take the time to research the producer or manufacturer and their ethical practices. We use websites such as Gooshing to find out how the bigger brands are improving their green and ethical ways

Ethical Advertising

Of course there’s a double bonus when buying advertising with ethical companies. The first being that you’re financially supporting a way of business that you believe in. Secondly your advert will likely be seen by a relevant market, specifically a selection of consumers who are looking for green and responsible products and services.

We’ve used a range of ethical advertisers in our time including New Consumer, Changing Times and The Good Shopping Guide and there are may more available.

Whilst we’re talking about advertising and marketing its also worth mentioning that green and ethical directories are another way to reach potential customers, often for little or no cost. Recently we listed a range of such directories in one of our Make Hay newsletters – “To Market, To Market”

Who looks after your pennies?

Banking your hard, ethically-earned cash is a big consideration too. Do you want a bank to invest your money in arms or tobacco? If you don’t then find out your bank’s ethical policy. We use The Cooperative Bank who are well known for their use of ethical investments and taking a stance against unethical practices such as cosmetic testing on animals. Fortunately we’re able to buy our insurance from the Coop too!

The directory ‘A Lot of Organics’ provides a good list of ethical banks, investment and insurance companies.

According to an article in the Guardian investors are increasingly turning to ethical products due to demand. What great news!

Maybe we are becoming smarter consumers after all!

Next instalment: Part 4 – Live your Policy