Businesses shifting gears to focus on sustainability 

Business owners are pivoting to sustainable practices amid environmental concerns.

Consumers are interested in buying from environmentally friendly companies, with a Harvard Business Review survey finding 65 per cent of people want to buy from sustainable brands.

Klaus Dohring is the president of Green Sun Rising, a local solar panel provider at 1680 Kildare Rd. in Windsor. He said an obstacle to adopting sustainable practices is cost. 

“The main obstacle is the upfront investment. A solar system, once it is installed, has zero energy costs and it will pay for itself. It will create a significant long-term benefit, but all the cost is front-loaded,” Dohring said.

A 2018 report by the International Renewable Energy Agency found the average cost of electricity from solar panels fell by 26 per cent. Other systems fell by a combined 40 per cent. 

Dohring said businesses can start sustainability by looking at how they operate. 

“I would also recommend to a commercial operation to look at what processes are you doing. How are you buying? Where are you buying?” he said. 

Noah Campbell is the community program manager for WEtech Alliance, a government funded accelerator aiming to grow Ontario’s technology industry. 

He said encouraging sustainability in the technology field starts from the top. 

“I think the challenge for smaller tech companies really becomes ensuring the leaders take the leadership role. Big tech companies need to set the example,” he said. 

Apple has reduced carbon emissions by roughly 242,000 metric tons. Microsoft plans to fuel 70 per cent of their data centers via clean energy.

With an Aflac Insurance survey finding 77 per cent of customers are willing to buy from companies pledging environmental responsibility, it appears businesses are going the distance to go green.