Compostable products provide a wide variety of benefits to not only our planet, but your business as well. A more sustainable business has been shown to garner more customer loyalty, higher profits, and better draw with younger consumers. Setting sustainability goals and implementing sustainability initiatives in your business can make a world of difference in the way your business is viewed by the public. Take Patagonia for example. The company uses huge volumes of fleece and other potential pollutants to make their products. However, they now employ a variety of sustainability programs across their entire business, making sure to include recycled materials, pay living wages, and ensure the sustainability of their supply chains. All of these actions have led to their positioning as one of the top sustainable organizations in the world.
So how do compostables fit?
Some of the facts are easy, like the fact that you’re helping to solve the plastic pollution problem by utilizing products that are compostable and made from plants rather than plastic ones that don’t break down for 500 hundred years, and leave microplastics behind. This helps your business to reduce it’s overall carbon footprint, as well as to market the fact that you’re doing your part to help reduce the single-use plastic pollution crisis plaguing our planet.
Alongside this, compostables also provide you with an opportunity to be a leader in your community. Many compostable products are industrially compostable, meaning they need a specialized facility to properly break down. Your business can help encourage your community to implement a municipal composting collection system, which then creates a ripple effect as more businesses and communities join in. You have the ability to reach further than you can ever imagine.
It’s time to switch.
Another big benefit to implementing compostable products (especially those that hold certifications from BPI and TUV) is that many of these products are compliant with single-use plastics bans that have been rolling out nationwide. Your business can jump ahead of the curve by implementing compostable sooner rather than later. When bans come, products will quickly become scarce, as compostables are still new in the market, meaning the production of these materials still isn’t at the level needed to fully support every single business that needs a single-use product. To make sure you and your business don’t get left in the dust, switch to compostable sooner rather than later!
Last but not least, we have the numbers that businesses really care about. Studies have shown that 79% of consumers are altering their purchasing habits based on sustainability, and that these consumers are willing to pay premiums for sustainable products. This means that businesses perceived as more sustainable see higher profits, as well as stronger customer loyalty. They also demonstrate a stronger pull of customers in younger generations, where sustainability is a more prevalent issue. All of these combined lead to businesses with more sustainability initiatives and goals being more successful and ranking higher than those that don’t. Even if it’s a small step, like switching your traditional plastic single-use products to compostable alternatives, it has the potential to make a much larger impact on your business as a whole.
We get it. Compostables are generally more expensive than petro-based single-use products. But consider how much good they can do not only for the planet, but for your community and your business. Sustainability is a growing issue, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. You don’t want to be left behind when the plastics bans and sustainable revolution come to your city. Take advantage of the benefits of compostables now, before it’s too late.
