With melting ice caps, rising sea levels, and increasing natural disasters, no one can deny or overlook global warming anymore. Climate change is real and it wouldn’t be wrong to say that it is the greatest threat the world is facing right now.
While one can argue that there are several factors responsible for climate change, the fact cannot be denied that human activities are the biggest contributor to bringing the planet to the brink of destruction.
Rising Public Consciousness
Although a bit late, people are finally starting to realize how their behaviors and actions have been contributing to global warming and climate change. It is the result of this realization that a number of movements have been springing up across the world, lately, to raise awareness about global environmental issues and how each one of us can contribute to improving the prevalent condition – by making eco-friendly choices.
Fortunately, the efforts have been largely successful. In fact, there has been a significant change in our purchasing habits and trends. In recent years, more and more people are considering if a product is environment-friendly while making purchases.
In a recent survey, 35% of the respondents said they prefer products that are eco-friendly and wouldn’t mind paying a bit more for them. Another 56% said they are ‘slightly likely’ to pay a higher price for eco-friendly products.
While the figures aren’t ideal, they show increasing environmental consciousness among the public and their shifting preferences, as a result.
Businesses are Responding to Changing Consumer Behaviors
Changing customer behaviors have also propelled businesses to bring a change in their business models to incorporate sustainable practices and make their products eco-friendly.
The shift isn’t yet widespread in the corporate world, but it has started. Let’s take a look at some examples to get an idea of how businesses are playing a role in protecting the environment and saving the planet.
Examples of Eco-Friendly Measures Taken by Businesses
A good example of businesses going green is a ban on the use of plastic straws. Some of the big brands that are in the process of completely stopping the use of plastic straws include Starbucks, Hilton, American Airlines, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, and Sea World Entertainment.
Similarly, many businesses and countries have or are in the process of banning the use of plastic bags. For example, in March 2020, New York will become the third US state to ban the use of plastic bags; the ban is already in place in California and Hawaii.
Zara, one of the giants of the fashion industry, has also recently announced its willingness to contribute to the protection of the environment by completely going green. The company has announced that by 2025, all its clothes will be made of organic, sustainable or recycled fabrics.
Lyft, a ride-sharing company operating in the US and Canada, has also made a huge contribution to this by making its rides carbon-neutral and becoming one of the world’s largest voluntary purchasers of carbon offsets. In May 2019, the company announced that it successfully removed the amount of carbon that would have required 2.4 million acres of trees to remove from the environment within the same amount of time i.e. a year.
The Final Word
Climate change is the biggest issue that the world is facing and is more serious than any problem this planet has ever faced. Fortunately, it is also one of the very few issues over which there is a majority consent and hence, an increasing amount of efforts have been made to protect the environment.
Although the measures that are being taken are not enough and we still have a long way to go, we are heading on to the right track and if each one of us becomes more cautious and makes our choices wisely, we can make this world a better place.
At Wabii, we completely support the eco-friendly movement and are all up for playing our part in it. This is why we have started stocking some amazing eco-friendly products that are not only good for the environment, but are also cool and trendy. Some of our latest eco-friendly products include Appeel Notebook, made from Apple Pulp, and Cotton and Cork Drawstring Bag. Visit our website to check out our entire range of environment-friendly products.
