It’s easy to imagine ways a consumer goods, apparel or tech brand might reduce its footprint. There are opportunities throughout the supply chain to green things up, from raw materials to packaging and distribution—including (as my product designer hubs does) ensuring that products can be easily dismantled, repurposed or recycled to reduce waste when they’re at the end of their useful lives.

But what if you’re a B2B service provider who wants to do your part—and generate the goodwill among your audiences that comes with it? What’s your sustainability story?

Step 1: Have a story.

Start by looking at the ways your business practices benefit the environment, as well as the ways it should benefit the environment, based on what you do and the people you serve.

Once you’ve decided to embrace green thinking and keep it at the center of everything you do, the story writes itself.

Nothing in your story yet? Back up a step and make some changes. For example, if you’re a small office full of knowledge workers, you could:

• Strive for zero waste to landfill—for the company and your employees. The goal is simply to buy as little as possible, shifting away from single-use anything and opting for products made from recycled content. When every scrap that goes out the back door is recyclable or compostable, you (and the environment) win.
• Be part of the PaaS—products as a service—movement. Take a cue from Gen Z and don’t buy what you don’t need. Whether it’s a company jet, new desks or party decorations, consider whether you can borrow or rent what you need.
• Get friendlier with energy and water. It’d be great if we could all just pack up and move to an energy efficient, LEED-rated workspace. Assuming that’s not an option, try to keep your heating and cooling systems well maintained for optimum efficiency and use sensors to shut down systems in spaces you don’t use. Maybe dial back the faucets from “firehose” to “gentle rinse.” You can reduce emissions and save money at the same time.
• Make your employees the story. What change would they like to see? Maybe they’d appreciate a bike-friendly culture with spaces to store and charge equipment or change clothes. Perhaps you can support teams in volunteering for their favorite enviro causes. If you really want to start some fireworks, invite them to make an informed decision about the office coffee creation style (a subject I am not willing to touch, but you may be surprised at the findings).
• Help someone else save the planet. Maybe your green efforts inside the walls aren’t so easy to quantify. So take it off-site. Sponsor a wetland, participate in a park clean-up or donate your services to an environmentally focused nonprofit. Find a way to make a difference in your community using the skills and resources you have.

Step 2: Get the story out.

Once you’ve decided to embrace green thinking and keep it at the center of everything you do, the story writes itself. Well, mostly. You’ll want to:

• Track the changes you’ve made and, if possible, their impact
• Look into a sustainability certification to demonstrate your commitment 
• Articulate why those changes matter to your company, industry and community
• Update your vision and mission to incorporate your commitment to the future 
• Weave what you’ve done and learned and achieved into your social posts, marketing content, new business pitches and more.

The good news? People who are considering working with or at your company will be very interested to hear about your efforts. If you need help, FATFREE is just the team to do it.