Sustainability is a popular topic nowadays – and rightly so.

We all have an impact on our planet and it’s crucial that we leave it in a better state than when we came into it; we all have a part to play. And as such, there are a few gentle steps we can all take to ease the load.

Vehicle wraps

Vehicle wraps and company vans are fundamental to many businesses, it’s an easy way to promote your services passively, but effectively.

It also acts as reinforcement into the strength and reliability of your business – however, buying a new van every time you need a vehicle signed up can be expensive, and have add-on ramifications to the environment and your budget.

Many businesses we know shop second-hand for their company vans. Not only is better for the environment to not contribute to the mass-production of vehicles, it’s also better for your budget as second-hand vehicles do tend to be cheaper, as opposed to brand-new vans; and often, many of them operate just as effectively.

Craft vinyl

We know waste is a huge addition to climate change and global warming, that’s why in an effort to quell our amount of vinyl waste, we sell vinyl off-cuts for a small fee.

It isn’t a service we advertise; however, it is well-known within the craft community that vinyl off-cuts are easily obtained from sign makers or sign companies.

Not only does this give our discarded pieces of vinyl a new lease of life, but it also gives crafters the opportunity to purchase an abundance of material for a relatively cheap price.

Keeping our waste down, and keeping their creativity up.

Shopping locally

One of the perks of shopping with small businesses is that you get a personal service, unfortunately, with larger companies it is easy to get lost in the fold of others.

Big companies are also known to be more likely to negatively contribute to the environment, as opposed to smaller, local businesses. This is mostly down to the fact that everything is at a larger scale, and although they may generate more money, they also have higher spending margins.

As such, large companies will typically keep things cheap to the detriment to the environment. When you support small business, you support the person, their family, and their small staff team.

There are many other variables that are cut out when shopping independent, for example, import and export fees and gases emitted.

While we all still have a long way to go, and we’re by no means perfect, it’s important to consider the impact you do have – and the power you have to make changes. Even if you’re subjected to the limitations of your industry, remember: even the smallest change makes a difference.