Feb
06

Boost Sales, Go Green

Posted on January 17, 2018 by Ash Bennett

While you may deliver the best breads in Australia or knock-your-socks-off coffee, you could be missing out on a valuable client base if your business hasn’t gone green. In fact, 52% of Australians prefer to deal with companies who have a reputation for caring about the environment, so you can gain a competitive advantage and protect the planet when you go green. Here are five tips to get you started.

Offer Organic Products

A line of organic foods — from bread baked with organic flour to organic eggs and vegetables in your brunch quiches — and organic beverages, particularly tea and coffee, can give consumers the options that they demand. If organic prices are just too high, you could instead offer gluten-free, vegan, fair-trade, and/or non-GMO options. And for the truly ambitious, a commitment to switching all of your ingredients to organic or non-GMO within the next five years could give you a substantial sales boost.

Use Biodegradable Cleaning Supplies

Petroleum-based cleaning supplies have earned a reputation for polluting the earth’s water supply and air quality. When more people are using plant-based, biodegradable cleaning products in their own home, it makes sense that businesses should do the same. Switch to plant-based cleaning supplies, and you can inform customers that they are entering a non-toxic zone. You can even take advantage of NanoSeptic technology to keep public touchpoints like door handles and countertops continuously clean.

 

Upgrade Your Energy Efficiency

With well over 200 days of sunshine a year in almost every major Australian city, the country is a prime place to reap the benefits of solar energy. The Department of the Environment and Energy offers a number of incentive programmes for businesses who want to take advantage of this. But even if going solar is just too extreme for you, you may still qualify for a grant to upgrade to more efficient appliances, or even an electric company vehicle if you deliver.

Reduce Waste and Encourage Recycling

Waste reduction is a simple environmentally friendly measure that every restaurant or cafe, whether large or small, can practice. Simple tactics, like asking your take-out customers if they need napkins or utensils rather than handing them out to everyone, can significantly reduce paper and plastic waste. You can also set up recycling bins instead of trash cans; clearly label one for food waste, one for paper, and one for plastic, and you may be surprised to see how many of your customers appreciate that they can recycle in-store.

Use Sustainable Packaging

If you are going to offer recycling at your store, you need to make sure your food packaging is recyclable. And while you’re at it, use packaging that was sustainably sourced, and choose reusable options such as pine or bamboo dishes for catering. Your customers will thank you, the earth will thank you, and your sales records will thank you, too.

Our family-owned business at Kent Paper has all the eco-friendly packaging your restaurant, coffee shop, cafe, or bakery could need. From plates, bowls, cups, and trays to utensils and biodegradable soaps, you can find the sustainable packaging that will help you help the earth, which will expand your customer base no matter where you are located.