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Environmental sustainability in the business world involves making decisions that are in the interests of protecting the natural world. It is a prominent topic at the moment as many people are taking notice of the significant impact that businesses and individuals can have on the environment.

While some may argue that environmental sustainability is not the responsibility of businesses, there are a number of points that strongly support the business case for environmentally sustainable strategies including:

• Low risk and low potential for negative impacts on business operations.
• Potential future costs exist for not acting now (government legislation).
• Reduce operational expenses and increase efficiency.
• Provide a competitive edge for attracting and retaining customers.

Environmental sustainability is becoming an increasingly effective way for businesses to differentiate themselves in a competitive market. Environmentally sustainable practices can help to improve your public image as consumers prefer to buy products and services that are not harmful to the environment.

There are a number of emerging business opportunities in the environmental sustainability sector. For example, many small business start-up's are focusing on providing environmentally friendly solutions to common needs such as installing solar energy products and offering recycling services. Marketing your business as environmentally friendly and selling environmentally sustainable products can really help you to expand your customer base and capitalise on new opportunities.

There are a number of simple strategies and options available to small businesses to help them improve their environmental sustainability. Some strategies that you might consider include:

• Pollution control and prevention - managing and reducing the amount of pollution that your business generates.
  
  
• Improving energy efficiency - simple changes like turning off computers at night and switching to fluorescent lighting can really make a difference and save you money.
  
  
• Using renewable energy - most electricity providers now offer a renewable energy option.
  
  
• Lifecycle management - when developing products or deciding what you will sell, considering the entire lifecycle of the product (from development to disposal) will help you to make environmentally sound decisions.
  
  
• Natural resource management - monitoring and limiting your use of natural resources such as water, timber and fossil fuels can help you to reduce your negative impact on the environment.

To find out more about what you business can do, please go to the ‘environmental sustainability' and ‘environmentally sustainable strategies' chapters.