Sustainability and Small Business: A Perfect Match

In our professional consulting practice, we find that small business is often, by design, perfectly suited for sustainability implementation.  Direct interactions over the years with these organizations reveal that small enterprises are typically more intimately connected to their stakeholders.  By this, we mean that small businesses are: 

•    More in-touch with employees: engaging and actively managing employees on an individual level.   •    More in-touch with investors: closely working business relationships to meet the expectations of its stakeholders and investors.   •    More in-touch with customers: working directly with consumers and business customers to deliver products that meet specific requirements and delivery expectations.   •    More in-touch with suppliers: directly communicating with smaller set of business partnerships often directly integrated into the business operations.    Companies that experience difficulties with business sustainability implementation often cite the challenges of business visibility, stakeholder engagement, change management, or overall goal alignment.  Our sustainability consulting experience has shown that through increased eco awareness and stakeholder engagement, business sustainability implementations have a much higher rate of success than forced action.   As stated by Tim Kovach Product Coordinator, Energy Programs at COSE, " Too many people think that sustainability and energy efficiency are issues that only large businesses can tackle. But, in fact, small businesses may stand to gain more from these than larger businesses, and they may have an easier time reaping these benefits than they realize. At COSE, we have partnered with the Institute for Sustainable Development to provide our members with access to their Green Plus sustainability certification and education program. This is a great three-step program designed particularly for small businesses, and we have already had several members take advantage of it, with two receiving certification."   "As you point out, (referring to a Taiga Company blog post, Is Sustainability a Fit for Your Small Business, it can be much easier for a 5 or 7-person business to get engagement among employees and stakeholders and sustainability than a 2,500-person business. It is just important to recognize that these smaller enterprises need access to resources that provide a strong, clear business case for sustainability.  Click here to continue reading.  

Home to one third of the earth's trees, the Taiga is the largest land-based biosphere and encircles the globe. Its immense oxygen production literally changes the atmosphere and refreshes the planet. It is this continuous renewal that has shaped Taiga Company's vision to drive similar change in the business world. Taiga Company seeks to be the "oxygen for your business".

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