Outsourcing is one of the most dependable strategies for a startup business to expand its reach. But with all the concerns about the impact of business on the environment, many startups are worried that it might not be enough for their needs.
So, it’s time to look into the impact outsourcing has on our surroundings. And let’s discover ways to make it even more responsive to the clamor to be more environmentally friendly.
The True Impact Of Outsourcing On The Environment
Outsourcing is touted as one of the best ways to cut a business’ overall environmental impact. That is because the strategy lets the company reduce its operational footprint significantly.
However, there is a reality that you need to understand here. That reduction of the operational footprint is only within your local area. That means that whatever environmental impact reduction it might have introduced is limited only to that area.
Image from Microsourcing.
The effects associated with the work you outsourced do not magically disappear. Instead, they simply get transferred to the location you outsourced to. For instance, while you might be able to reduce ten tasks within your company, someone else need to do the same tasks for you. And depending on how they do those tasks, the outsourced team generates nearly the same amount of pollutants as you did in their location.
This problem is compounded when outsourcing to multiple providers. Often, these partners are spread out across different locations. In some cases, they may even be in separate countries. Because of that, the environmental impact of the outsourced work affects a wider area.
Outsourced Pollution
One of the most significant of these effects is the so-called outsourced pollution. As the name says, this is the pollution produced by outsourced work. According to environmental consultancy firm Global Efficiency Intelligence, 25% of the world’s total global emissions now come from this.
Image from Foreign Policy.
At first, you might think this is mainly due to outsourced manufacturing processes. After all, those require huge factories, and such factories are considered the main source of pollutants. But other types of outsourced work are not free from this.
Think about it, the work you outsource requires electricity and other resources. These are produced in power plants and other facilities that also create pollutants. Because these kinds of work are much more diverse, they can have a larger imprint than you expect. The fact that many popular outsourcing destinations don’t have a significant environmental sustainability infrastructure exacerbate the issue.
Making Startup Business Outsourcing More Environmentally Sustainable
Of course, with all the benefits of outsourcing for your startup business, it is certainly something that you probably won’t be willing to give up. But with more clamor for environmental sustainability, not just in your local area but everywhere, you now face a tough question. Is there any way to make outsourcing more environmentally friendly?
The answer is yes, but you should be ready to make it happen. And you should be prepared for the commitment. As it is, sustainable outsourcing will require you to considerably rethink your business model and make decisions that will affect it significantly.
Changing Your Perspective
One of the biggest shifts you will need to go through here is going from business competitiveness to putting the planet first. Here, you will also have to rethink what you use outsourcing for. If you are using it mainly to gain a competitive edge, you need to be more conscious of what that competitive edge might bring.
Image from Rock Content.
For instance, you might increase production with less effort from your core team. However, that could mean the outsourced team is doing more work and generating more pollution. You have to weigh whether the increased revenue is worth the environmental effects. This decision can be hard at times. However, if you are genuinely committed to the environment, you will be ready to make the cut.
Keeping An Eye On Your Outsourcing Processes
Another vital area you should pay attention to when making your outsourcing efforts greener is the processes you employ. Your goal here is to seek more sustainable alternatives.
Purchasing processes are a particular group you should pay attention to, especially if you are outsourcing them. Study how the methods your team employs impact the environment. In this situation, just switching to another provider might not suffice. Instead, a better way to do it is to work with your current one to determine a more environment-friendly solution.
Creating More Sustainable Outsourcing Goals
Ultimately, your startup business should develop goals that make outsourcing inherently sustainable for you. The idea here is to create criteria to determine whether a potential provider would fit your vision.
Image from Modis.
One area you want to look into here is how they build their environmental protection policies. Consider how sound these strategies are and how compatible they are with your own. You can further look into their long-term plans for sustainability.
Virtua Solutions’ Commitment To Sustainable Outsourcing
Being a relatively young company, we at Virtua Solutions understand the importance of pursuing environmental sustainability. As such, we made it our goal to ensure that it is at the forefront of our work with clients.
One of our major thrusts is ensuring that our services have a low impact on the environment. For that, we have fully embraced the idea of remote work. With that, our agents do not need to travel frequently for work. We believe that it is an effective way to contribute to lessening emissions.
We are also constantly searching for more environment-friendly ways to do our business. That includes training our agents on such practices and helping them integrate them into their daily routines. Our management constantly guides them to ensure compliance.
Thus, whether you are already on your path to being environment friendly, or just making the shift, Virtua is prepared to help that noble cause. Sign up with us today and let’s join hand in hand in protecting the environment and making your startup business grow more.