When we are setting up our business, we often go through our checklist of legal responsibilities such as registering our company with the company’s house, registering with HMRC for taxes such as corporate taxes etc .

One thing we often miss out is that how our business activity is going to affect our environment. Not only should we avoid impacting our environment negatively but also we should have a strategy to actively protect our environment.

If you are self employed running your own business you are not legally required to produce a sustainability report. However, as individuals we have responsibility towards our surroundings and we should act socially responsible on all levels.

Today, due to the pandemic crisis and the surge in the online shopping a lot of business start-ups have emerged which are operating online. We often ted to miss the point that online selling and buying is increasing the carbon emissions being released in our environments.

Research shows that around 65- 75 % of the consumers check the sustainability strategy of the company before buying the product as with the increased awareness more and more people are likely to care about the environment that they live in.

Having sustainable preferences might increase the cost of the product but in the long term this is likely to attract more customers who are looking for ways to protect the planet.

So, If you are selling online you might want to consider the following points to be part of the eco friendly environment.

1. Reduce the packaging: If you are selling a product such as clothes you should avoid packing them in individual packaging instead try to make one parcel for all the clothes this will reduce the amount of paper used.
   Do not use big boxes to pack the product while filling the empty space with extra packing material.
2. Avoid packing in plastic bags: Say no to plastic packaging instead use recyclable material for packing such as cardboard boxes which are often recycled themselves and can be easily recycled.
3. Use techniques to give extra details of your product: If you allow a detailed description of your product you will be having more successful sales and it is likely to reduce the number of returns of your products. When a customer is returning a product they are doing it at a cost of the environment. More fuel, more packaging etc is being used.
4. Encourage Green Shipping: Today, with the increased awareness about our environment, there are more delivery methods available for example, there are some delivery companies which offer sustainable options such as bikes, electric vehicles. Online retailers should give their customers options to use green shipping.
5. Deliveries should be well organised: The deliveries should be arranged in a way that when a van is set to deliver the parcels it should be fully loaded. You might want to discourage the option of express delivery where the van often has to go out for delivery half loaded.

It is important to be genuinely implementing sustainable policies to help the environment. If you are just advertising it to attract customers and not the policies practically this is known as green washing, and you will be accountable for false claims and misleading information.

If you are thinking of selling online as a business or as self-employed and you are looking for advice from an accountant you can call Taxaccolega at 020 8127 0728, we are shopify accountants and we will help with all the accounting and legal matters.