Do you want to make your business more eco friendly? When I chatted to Zoe Kiff from Honest Riders in episode 25 of the Small & Supercharged Podcast, we chatted ethical and eco friendly businesses. It’s something that Zoe is particularly passionate about and has managed to make her business reflect these two elements. The thing that struck me, is that we can all make changes to make our equine businesses more ethical and eco-friendly. And some of these don’t even cost any extra.
Here’s a link to the ‘how to link your passions and beliefs in your business’ Small & Supercharged Podcast if you fancy a listen…
Ways to make your equine business more ethical and eco-friendly
- Reduce your plastic. Shall we start with the obvious? Reducing the plastic you use at every stage of your business can make a real difference. This might mean that you change the packaging of your equine products, or you ask your suppliers to be more aware of what they’re sending your products in. The thing that’s really interesting is that it might not cost you much or any more to make this switch. And you can still deliver the products really beautifully without plastic. In fact, some of the eco-friendly alternatives actually give a more luxurious feel anyway.
- Awareness. Being aware of the processes involved with the manufacture of the products you sell goes a long way to helping you make changes. When I spoke to Zoe, I was amazed at the fact that some animal products are… tested on animals. How is that right? I was genuinely amazed that this happened. However, in knowing more about the processes, you can then decide if you want to do anything about it. You might learn more about the people who make your products. Or you might want to look at alternative factories who give the people who work there a much better life, for example.
- Working with a charity or a cause you’re passionate about. Some equine businesses give donations to charity on certain products, some donate time, services or something else to charity to help. Zoe is a great example as she donates to three different charities on different products, Fairfax & Favor did an amazing job with Breast Cancer Care, and Hiho Silver support a number of charities including Willberry Wonder Pony. You don’t have to give all your profits away. You still need to run a business. But you could look to give something to a charity you really believe in.
- Reducing your waste. Yes, we all like a bit of recycling, but what if we could reduce our waste even further. Maybe not printing something because we don’t really need to? Streamlining our packaging (without impacting on the customer experience), even changing to more energy efficient lightbulbs in the office could make your equine business a little more eco-friendly.
- Little changes. Little changes can really add up. Things like changing packaging can take a long time to switch over, but doing the research into new options before your current supply runs out can mean you’re in a great position for the next time.
Of course, not everyone will have making this business more eco-friendly or ethical on their list of ‘to-dos’, and I’m not here to preach at all – you do you. However, I think being aware of the choices we’re making and seeing if we can make better choices that align with our beliefs is something to look at. Before recording this podcast, I’d always assumed eco-friendly packaging would cost more. And that products for animals were… well, not tested on them! If you want to hear a bit more about how Honest Riders make it work for them, have a listen to the podcast here.
