How Does Your Business’s Resources Management Impacts the Environment
For a long time, we have been living in a linear model of the ‘take, make, dispose’ approach to the production and consumption world. This way of thinking and acting is wasteful and doesn’t take into consideration our future and the future of our planet’s resources.
What is Sustainable Resource Management?
Practice sustainable resource management means managing your organisation’s resources taking into consideration the future.
Fortunately, through the last years, there have been growing expectations for more sustainable resource usage. Thus, instead of following a linear model of production and consumption of resources, the goal is to aim for a more circular model where resources are recovered, re-used and kept in circulation for as long as possible.
To help our world and future generations one small step that you could take is to evaluate how your business manage its resources and establish a resource management plan.
What are Sustainable Resources?
Sustainable resources are classified as natural resources that are renewable and can be replaced as fast or faster than consumption. Therefore, a natural resource is considered to be sustainable when renewable and managed responsibly.
An example of a sustainable resource is solar power. It’s possible to use the sun’s energy without the depletion of the sun itself.
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How to Better Your Business’s Resource Management
When it comes to the management of resources, usually, larger organisations have an expert working with them. That is not the case for small and medium-sized enterprises (70% of employment worldwide) due to time and expenses. Nonetheless, if you have an SME, its size can be an advantage due to being more agile and adaptable.
As said before, to improve your organisation’s sustainability you should aim for a circular model of production and consumption.
Establish a Resource Management Plan
As a first step, you should evaluate your organisation’s resource consumption and then establish a Resource Management Plan with your sustainability goals.
One thing that you may look into is ISO 14001. Becoming certified in it will help you manage your business’s environmental responsibilities and improve the organisation’s sustainability.
Employee Awareness
Ensure to communicate your resource management plan and its goals to your employees. Make sure to provide your staff with all that they need to make your organisation’s resource management sustainable. Be creative! Make them aware that his actions react. Empower them and make them feel proud and see.
Track and Monitor your Progress
Improving your business sustainability doesn’t happen right away. It’s a process!
Day-to-day acts and small changes can lead to a significant impact in the long run. Ensure that you keep track of your organisation’s progress, adjusting as it goes.
