5 Environmental Issues That Every New Business Should Be Aware

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With climate change becoming a growing issue for our planet, more focus is being drawn toward the business industry to identify what they can do to help the situation. This means that all new businesses need to know about the different environmental issues that their company may contribute to.

Climate change and becoming more eco-friendly involve more than just recycling and reducing your carbon footprint. As such, here are some of the environmental issues that every new business needs to be made aware of and what you can do to address these concerns.

Ocean Pollution

Planet Earth is around seventy percent water. This means that ocean pollution affects a great amount of our globe. Ocean pollution is caused by general littering, people using the sea for waste management, and weather effects like hurricanes and tornadoes. We use the ocean to find marine species to eat. Unfortunately, ocean pollution is killing off large amounts of edible species that will eventually contribute to food shortages. On top of this, some of the marine life that makes it onto plates can be tainted by polluted waste or debris. Therefore, some humans can end up ingesting this type of waste and become ill. So too can other mammals that rely on this type of food.

Many companies are addressing ocean pollution by disposing of their waste pollution. You can also help by not using single-use plastics as part of your manufacturing process. This is because it can take up to five hundred years for these plastics to decompose. Therefore, it is highly likely that this unwanted debris finds its way into our oceans and becomes pollution/

Deforestation

Deforestation is the act of clearing away large quantities of trees to make space for business practices or for resources. Unfortunately, there are hundreds of species that use this forest land as a home. As such, wiping out these trees can damage this delicate ecosystem. Also, the plants within these forested areas could provide food or medicinal aid. Therefore, wiping them out will have negative effects on humanity.

Another key problem with deforestation is that it can lead to an increase in floods. Large trees can soak up large quantities of water and act as a barrier between small towns or villages and large quantities of rain. By removing these trees from deforestation, you can open up certain land masses to potential floods.

Most new businesses can avoid contributing to deforestation by choosing to open their manufacturing sites in an area that does not require them to wipe out swathes of trees. Also, it helps to engage in the practice of recycling and use recycled materials whenever possible. Doing so prevents the need to cut down more trees to make more paper products.

Supply Chains

Your supply chains are the means by which you receive your manufacturing materials or distribute your product to your customers. These suppliers need to gain raw materials from the earth, which can disrupt the delicate ecology of the environment. Ecology is the balance of different organisms and their immediate environment. Removing something from the environment can negatively affect the ecology of a specific environment. This is why you should work with an ecological consultancy, such as Arbtech, who could conduct relevant surveys. This helps you get relevant advice for projects across your business. A consistent imbalance of different ecologies can have a knock-on effect to our entire environment.

It is important that new businesses do not disrupt the delicate ecology of the world around them. This means that you will need to be careful when establishing your supply chains, and only choose to work with other companies that also engage in environmentally friendly practices.

Air Pollution

Businesses can contribute to air pollution in a similar way to contributing to ocean pollution. Burning certain chemicals or materials can lead to unsafe pollution being left in the air. This polluted air is then breathed in or inhaled by humans or other creatures and causing them to become ill. Air pollution is also a huge contributing factor to climate change. The thick layer of pollution in our atmosphere makes it difficult for the sun’s UV rays to escape the planet, heating it up and causing global warming.

Obviously, new businesses can help combat air pollution by not engaging in these activities in the first place. It also helps to ensure that your machinery is thoroughly cleaned before use so no unwanted chemicals are accidentally released during their use. You will also benefit from shortening your supply routes where possible. Doing so prevents the need for vehicles to continually use fossil fuels, one of the biggest causes of air pollution.

Desertification

Desertification is the term used to describe the process of green lands becoming damaged and barren. It is extremely similar to deforestation; desertation happens to much more varied land masses and larger areas. This happens when companies exploit the area by using up too many of the area’s natural resources such as water and vegetation. These raw materials are needed for manufacturing purposes but are normally used up much faster than they can be replaced. The result is a dried-u, desert-like area that is of no use to anyone let alone the wildlife that used to call this land its home.

Businesses can avoid desertification by avoiding using up too many natural resources in an area. Luckily, you can reduce the effects of desertification by re-investing in the land that you take from. In other words, you must always try to replace anything you take from the natural area. it also helps to fund local groups and projects that are trying to protect these natural parts of the globe and repair any potential damage.

Summary

As you can see, there is a lot that a business can do to affect the environment around it. It isn’t just the air that is being polluted. Unfortunately, our oceans and forests are also in trouble. Sadly, most of these effects are negative and have contributed to climate change. However, your business can have a positive impact if you make the correct initial decisions and follow the advice above.

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