For Greenness’ Sake: Meeting Consumer Demand for Corporate Environmental Stewardship

In our modern day and age, the product quality and availability of a business isn’t all that’s going to cut it for consumers. The digital age has developed the consumer-business relationship into more than a faceless stream of products and services; consumers are consistently caring more and paying attention to the practices of the business they spend their money with. Ethical problems related to the consumer’s perceived environmental responsibility have become a hallmark marketing edge for companies that are thriving in a connected world. Developing a brand focused on environmental stewardship has to start with understanding the underlying reasons for consumer demand and what practices will settle those demands.

Consumers now have the ability to connect to information they never would have before. Finding the environmental impact of businesses is a fingerprint scan away, instead of having to research and rely on secondary knowledge like in past generations. Being constantly connected has created a shift in consumer loyalty towards more authentically good businesses. The 2015 Nielsen Global Corporate Sustainability Report showed that in 2015, 62% of consumers were concerned with brand trust, and 66% would reportedly pay more for sustainable and sustainably sourced goods (Nielsen, 2015). Unsurprisingly, consumers will happily give their money to companies that they trust are positive influences on the environment. Having a forward-thinking mindset on how your company can positively impact the world can also actually create a feedback loop where the world can positively impact your business. The same Nielsen report showed that in 2015 companies with a vested interest in sustainability grew globally 4%, while those without an interest in sustainability grew less than 1% (Nielsen, 2015). The combination of brand trust and brand loyalty towards authentic companies will create a beneficial economic environment that will reward you for your environmental stewardship.

Developing brand trust and loyalty can easily be done by publicly implementing good environmental practices within property operations. Often, implementing those practices can also help your company save money. Walmart announced last week that they will be saving $200 million annually in reduced energy costs from changing all of their fluorescent lights in the store and in parking lots to LED, which is a more environmentally friendly light source (Cain, October 2018). Saving money from updating your property’s assets while being more environmentally responsible is a huge win-win for your company and the communities it impacts.

Becoming corporate environmental stewards is easier said than done. Putting a sentence about environmental responsibility in your mission statement can be empowering as a company to let employees come together and develop actionable ways to improve their environmental impact, but real action is more difficult and much more important. Impactful corporate environmental stewardship means getting involved in your company’s environmental shortcomings, and actively finding ways to minimize those shortcomings in a meaningful and continuous way. Minimizing harm and maximizing your potential as environmental stewards can be found in sourcing more sustainable goods, maintaining more sustainable properties, and funding sustainably-minded initiatives.

Among the many meaningful environmentally responsible measures you could implement, post-construction stormwater management is high on the list. Without proper management, the impervious surfaces within your property will create a massive problem for the watershed it inhabits and extensive potential legal troubles for your company. Of all water pollutants, sediment stemming from stormwater erosion tops the list as the most abundant pollutant. Choosing AQUALIS to help you revitalize your stormwater assets with the most environmentally friendly techniques around is a meaningful step to initiate your company’s move towards environmental stewardship. We have a definitive interest in being environmental stewards, consistently going beyond the demand for environmentally conscious corporate decisions, and always making sure to pass on that excellence to our clients.

Our professionals will not only be there to manage the minutia of keeping your stormwater assets running smoothly and sustainably, but we will facilitate the development of your knowledge on the positive environmental impact your stormwater assets can make when working optimally, along with the negative impact it can have when it isn’t actively maintained. We can also streamline any regulatory processes that may be required with restoring or updating your stormwater assets, in order to make sure your focus stays on being an active community member and environmental steward, and less on the headaches government regulation can create.

AQUALIS prides ourselves in employing environmentally conscious techniques for the optimization of your stormwater assets. We often use or maintain Low-Impact Development (LID), a design and planning scheme that uses green infrastructure and stormwater management techniques that can help mimic the way stormwater flowed across the property before impervious land, like parking lots, were introduced into the ecosystem. Our specialists also focus on protecting all of the beneficial plants within your stormwater assets, instead of indiscriminately cutting down invasive and beneficial plants. We always leave a property site looking better than we found it, paying attention to the small details that other service providers might overlook. With AQUALIS, you know that you’re getting professionals who care about solidifying your potential positive impact upon the environment.

AQUALIS is constantly looking for ways to be and to create other environmental stewards. Being green can create brand loyalty that can be seen in annual reports. Let us help you make your mission statement a reality by contacting one of our stormwater management professionals today to develop the most environmentally responsible maintenance plan for your stormwater assets.

Citations:

2015 Nielsen Global Corporate Sustainability Report. (October 2015) Nielsen.

Caine, Aine. (October 16, 2018) Walmart says it will save more than $200 million by making 2 minor changes. Business Insider.For Greenness’ Sake: Meeting Consumer Demand for Corporate Environmental Stewardship