Consumer Perception Becoming Business Reality

When you think of a sustainable business, what first comes to mind?  More importantly, what do you think of when someone mentions a non-sustainable business?  Do you think of industries, specific companies, or specific business actions?  Too often these business perceptions become reality, and in today’s environment, the wrong perception can prove costly.

With the growth in global eco awareness, companies are experiencing firsthand the full impact of shifting ‘green’ consumer expectations and the overall perception of business.  In the past businesses may have focused exclusively on economic performance; however, many companies are realizing the real impacts of sustainable action. 

Because not all businesses and individuals are at the same level of sustainability understanding or implementation, the characteristics often used to create comparisons can lead to different conclusions.  For this reason, our sustainability consulting tends to evaluate an organization less on levels of implementation and more on the quality of the business sustainability direction. 

We view leading organizations, at any level of business sustainability understanding or level of implementation, as those looking to engrain sustainability concepts across all aspects of the business and with key business stakeholders.  These companies:

•    Define a clear relationship between sustainability, brand and reputation.

•    Promote consumer engagement in product development and innovation.

•    Establish close relationships with aligned business partners to create efficient environmentally conscious and ethically responsible supply chains.

•    Create transparent governance structures that facilitate effective stakeholder  engagement and reporting.

At Taiga Company, our professional consulting provides information and resources to promote a positive perception of any company through a clear direction and demonstrated action.  We work with clients interested in integrating stakeholder engagement and transparency  into specific business sustainability programs.

Posted via web from 3BL Media, CSR News, and Emily

Awareness: First Steps to Sustainable Change

Whenever you want to improve in a specific area or program, just the process of increasing awareness will yield improvements.  The same applies to living a sustainable lifestyle.  Most of us recognize that change can be tricky:  habits and convenience make it far easier to slip back into the comfortable way of doing things.  However, implementing effective sustainable change does not have to be a laboring process.  The key is conscious awareness. 

Awareness is the tool used to help discover the personal patterns of behavior that offer low hanging fruit for a sustainable lifestyle.  For instance, are you aware of your habits related to energy?  Consider how and when you consume the most energy in your day?  How could you be more efficient? What inspiring eco actions could you take? 
 
Conscious awareness is key to sparking the eco awareness in a personal sustainability program.  As noted in our eco friendly training, following are aids to assist in raising awareness: 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”.

Posted via web from 3BL Media, CSR News, and Emily

Sustainable Beauty: It Goes Beyond Skin Deep

What is the biggest organ in your body?  You might be surprised to find out it’s the skin, which you might not think of as an organ. No matter how you think of it,
flawless skin is a thing of beauty. We coddle it, we nourish it, we try to improve it.

 With growing eco awareness today is increased scrutiny in products we apply to our skin.  As a professional consultant introducing sustainability concepts to living a sustainable lifestyle, it makes sense to look for new ways to integrate eco awareness into ones life.  The most impactful areas of our lives are those that we do by habit.  In this case, it’s evaluating the products we choose to put on our skin on a daily basis. 

 When you think about it, our daily personal habits add up: from lotions, deodorant, face care, shaving, makeup, cleansers, shampoos, conditioners, and the list goes on.  Each product used in a daily personal care routine offers the opportunity to use products embracing eco awareness and made by sustainable businesses.  These products are not only better for you, but they are easier on the environment.

 Our eco friendly training directs questions pertaining to safe ingredients in skin care to Skin Deep.  Skin Deep is a safety guide to cosmetics and personal care products brought to you by researchers at the Environmental Working Group.

 Additional resources that we offer in our eco friendly consulting include the following brands. We encourage clients to read labels and evaluate products based on their personal sustainability plans: however, most of the following brands are at least 80% certified organic ingredients and 100% of all ingredients are natural.  Moreover, these brands take into account sustainable business practices by reducing waste, providing recyclable packaging, and reducing the manufacturing foot print.
 

• Phyt’s
• Origins Organics
• Jurlique  
• Stem Organics
• John Masters Organics

The purchasing and continual use of environmentally friendly personal care products exercises your vote in expanding the organic consciousness into the mainstream.  It also encourages companies to incorporate the environmental principals that these companies demonstrate.

CSR Minute: Applied Materials at Sustainable Business Meeting in Silicon Valley

Corporate Social Responsibility News: Applied Materials at Sustainable Business Institute’s Silicon Valley User Group Meeting.

CSR Minute: Cause Marketing Forum + IEG’s 2010 Sponsorship

Corporate Social Responsibility News: Cause Marketing Forum + IEG’s 2010 Sponsorship Forecast; UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School Aids New Sustainable Businesses.