Seven steps to implementing a green business strategy

By Connie Sue Centrella

All across the business world, management is facing growing pressure to reduce their respective companies’ environmental footprints. This all starts with the top executives, whose responsibilities and actions necessarily impact and filter down to other levels of management and employees—all of whom are tasked with creating an organization that is more energy-conscious and produces more energy-efficient products for the consumer.

While much of this is environmentally driven, cost savings can also be a productive outgrowth of this change. As such, many owners and managers at pool and spa companies are looking to implement a green strategy for their businesses. The following steps can serve as a guide to do just that.

1. Take a step back

Developing policies and implementing strategies that are good for the planet and the bottom line requires careful planning, processing of ideas and, most importantly, change, which requires stepping back and looking at the big picture.

First, a company needs to identify what impact it has on the environment. What products are being sold and what is required to bring those products to the end user? Today there is a growing selection of  ‘green’ products in the pool and spa industry—from variable-speed pumps and more efficient heating technologies for pools and hot tubs to light-emitting diode (LED) lighting and robotic cleaners—which all help reduce energy consumption. In addition, fears over chemical toxicity have given rise to more environmentally friendly chlorine generation options, such as salt systems.

These are just a few of the ways the industry is changing in order to leave a smaller carbon footprint and meet the growing demand for green products. Consider which of these products you are not yet selling—why not start now?

2. Create objectives

Establishing new performance objectives will help a company measure the value of going green. Before implementing any new strategies, it is important to understand what tools will be used to evaluate a company’s success. A business strategy based on sustainability practices will be successful, providing you create a solid plan.

Implementing sustainability initiatives varies from industry to industry, and the pool and spa sector is no exception. A plan that includes objectives, methods of evaluation and metrics will enable business owners to measure the value and impact certain approaches have on the company’s bottom line as well as its social responsibility.

A successful strategy also requires owners and managers to look at how they can affect a social change within their organizations. Consumers are looking for companies who offer not only a green solution, but are also practicing sustainability in both their internal and external operations.

3. Analyze product life cycles

An important step in developing a green business strategy involves examining the supply chain, also called a life cycle analysis. This methodology allows for the examination of the environmental impacts of a product, all the way from the point raw materials are extracted through the final disposal after the product has finished its useful life. Some also refer to this as a ‘cradle to grave’ look at the product’s lifespan.

In the pool and spa industry, channels to bring product to market are multi-layered, moving from manufacturing to distribution to construction to retail and service, before items finally make their way to the consumer. A responsible organization implementing green strategies must look at each of these channels.

Examine where each product you sell originates, how it is manufactured and what each supplier is doing to effect change to conform to new green regulations and social consciousness. Some organizations conduct an incredibly detailed audit and analysis that takes into account every aspect of the life cycle; other audits take a more simplistic approach. Creating an audit form will allow you to clearly analyze and evaluate this information.