Examples of Going Green
Think of Etsy, Google, and Nike – all making conscious efforts to be green. Is it really that difficult to be green? And how can you be a part of the movement? You can start by teaching your team about green living. Your local departments can help you educate your employees about green living. You can also reward those who follow through with the challenges by setting up monthly team challenges.
Nike
The athletic apparel giant recently announced a new program called Move to Zero, a comprehensive sustainability plan aimed at protecting the future of sports. These new initiatives will expand on the company’s commitment to reduce its carbon footprint, and use renewable energy to power its facilities. Nike has a goal to operate its facilities with zero carbon emissions by 2025. Nike’s announcement is made on the eve and before the United Nations Climate Action Summit.
Nike has committed to eliminating plastic bags worldwide by 2021. It also plans to replace plastic bags with paper bags in its North American digital commerce orders. These initiatives are expected to save the company 200,000 pounds of plastic each year. The company also committed to eliminating paper return slips. This will reduce paper waste by 25,000,000 sheets. It will also redesign its shoe packaging, which will reduce carbon emissions by half. Nike will also be testing popup cartons for footwear. They will use 57-100 percent recycled content. The new boxes eliminate 110 football fields of corrugate cardboard. Nike will also test paper mailers to be used for apparel.
Apple
You’re in for a treat if you’ve ever wondered if Apple really is green. The company has already made some significant environmental changes in the past decade, including committing to use 100 percent renewable energy in their manufacturing facilities and announcing plans to become carbon neutral by 2030. These efforts extend to the entire company, including the manufacturing supply chain, product life cycle and its 110 suppliers. Apple’s efforts make it easier for suppliers too to go green.
Although Apple has made great strides in environmental sustainability, they’re not necessarily going to stop producing new products. Apple recently announced plans for a closed supply chain that would allow all products to be made from recycled materials. This includes the manufacturing process for their MacBook and Mac mini computers. Apple isn’t making big changes right now, but they are working to get as close as possible to zero carbon emissions.
The Internet giant is leading the way by embracing environmental sustainability initiatives. The company has spread its money and resources across sustainability projects that reduce emissions and waste. These initiatives could yield future profits. Kate Brandt is one of Google’s sustainability officers. Before joining the company last July, she was the nation’s chief sustainability officer. She is an expert on environmental issues. She is also able connect the public with environmental projects.
Another way that Google is going green is through their data centers. Google has set a 2020 goal to have zero carbon data centers. The company purchases renewable energy from renewable sources like wind and solar to achieve this goal. Google also constantly innovates data center technology to make every watt of power as efficient as possible. Google also has stakes in solar power plants, wind power plants, and other renewable energy purchases.
Etsy
Businesses are trying to reduce their environmental impact in an age of climate change. Etsy is a prime example of such a company. Its founders and employees have noticed the benefits. In fact, the company’s waste-reduction and recycling rates increased by 20 percent and 18%, respectively. And they noticed more spontaneous interactions at the central waste stations, which served the same purpose as a water cooler.
For every purchase you make, Etsy purchases carbon reducetants and offsets. This money is used to fund environmental projects, such as forest conservation and wind and solar farms. These investments also reduce the environmental impact of shipping and packaging. Etsy has offset its total emissions as of February 28, 2019. And that’s not all. Etsy is committed to helping its artisans become more environmentally conscious.