6 Unbelievable Green Business Success Stories

Monday, May 19, 2014 by Jessica Hope

The key to motivating ourselves to implement best practices lies within inspiration. This is true both for life and for business. Conventional knowledge of a subject can only get us so far; while knowing “how” is a good place to start, understanding “why” is the driving force that moves us to actually make things happen.

Take green business practices, for example. For the most part, we know how it works. Green business practices enhance public image, increase both consumer and employee satisfaction, improve profitability, and potentially save a great deal of money. But for all the good these best practices have to offer, the motivation to actually implement them in the workplace can be elusive.

If you’re still on the fence, consider these unbelievable green business success stories.

Hopefully they will provide you with the necessary inspiration to join more than 70% of corporate agendas that consider green practices a vital component of staying competitive.

1. When beverage industry leader Coca-Cola simply cut down on packaging in 2009, it saved them an estimated $100 million.
2. Bank of America reduced the weight of its ATM receipts from 20 pounds to 15 pounds. This not only saved them paper, transporation, storage, and handling costs – but also a very considerable $500,000 per year.
3. Dow Chemicals calculated that with $2 billion in energy investments, it has saved $9 billion in reduced energy costs.
4. Major British multinational retailer Marks & Spencer earned an extra £50 million in revenue after embracing new environmental guidelines.
5. In 2012, Patagonia used an overwhelmingly successful sustainability-focused marketing strategy – “buy less” – to the tune of a $543 million sales increase, and 14 new stores.
6. Hoping to reduce waste products and energy consumption, General Electric increased their 2005 research and development budget to $1.5 billion. While it sounds like a heavy investment, consider that the resulting “Ecomagination” product line generated $10 billion in 2005, and $18 billion in 2010.

So what is the bottom-line for you business’ bottom line? It pays to be green. If you haven’t made up your mind about whether green practices are right for your business or have been delaying their application, you’re doing yourself and your employees a disservice. There’s appreciable money to be made (and saved) – and luckily, time still to change your ways.

In addition to hazardous waste disposal and assistance managing your hazardous materials, Hazardous Waste Experts offers comprehensive environmental sustainability consulting services that can help you achieve true green business success. Call us today at 800-936-2311 to speak with an expert.

Photo Credit: “Caveman Chuck” Coker via Compfight