In a recent study by the IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV), 51% of selected respondents from 10 major world economies said that sustainability is more important to them today than it was 12 months ago. The same research shows that if in 2021 half of those surveyed were willing to pay extra to encourage a sustainable brand or product, last year 49% of them had already done so in the last 12 months. Today, sustainability is more important than ever for business and society. People are increasingly concerned that businesses adopt a responsible attitude towards the community and the environment, while companies are challenged to achieve a perfect balance between sustainability and profitability.
"Currently, the development of companies can only be sustainable, which takes into account the protection of the environment and the community. These two values are closely related. The present presents us with important environmental challenges, which cannot be neglected and for this reason, the future will be nothing but sustainable", says Cosmin Popovici, CEO of CreditAmanet, a Romanian company specializing in short-term lending services (pawn type), currency exchange and which manages the most diversified trading platform for precious metals, electronics, jewelry, and luxury products.
Regardless of the profile, companies today are called to create a partnership with their customers for a sustainable future. Here are 3 good practices that transform the business into one that protects both people and the planet, as well as profit:
1. Investments in digitization to prevent waste of resources. The introduction of the electronic signature will help us save around 1,200,000 sheets of paper in 2023, which means 120 trees saved.
Digitization is increasingly considered as an effective tool for sustainable development. This helps considerably in reducing the wastage of resources, and carbon emissions, as well as increasing the comfort level of users.
"CreditAmanet is running the electronic signature introduction procedure in its agencies across the country. Customers will use tablets and thus we save a large amount of paper", says Cosmin Popovici.
"In recent years we have made important investments in technology, being aware that our decisions have a direct and beneficial impact on the community and the environment. For example, it is known that about 10,000 sheets of paper are made from the wood of one tree. The introduction of the electronic signature will help us save around 1,200,000 sheets in 2023, which means 120 trees saved. By scaling the digitization system, we aim to save at least 500 trees in 2024, explains the CEO of CreditAmanet.
2. Encouraging the circular economy. Unlike the traditional economic model (based on the scheme "produce-use-consume-throw"), the circular economy - much encouraged worldwide - extends the life cycle of products and minimizes waste and greenhouse gas emissions. Buy Back is a program run by CreditAmanet for several product categories (electronics - phones, tablets, laptops - but also luxury products, such as bags), which makes a major contribution to supporting the circular economy.
"We have been selling pre-owned electronics for more than 10 years, but in the last 2 or 3 years we have noticed an increased interest of our customers in this type of product," explains the company's CEO.
3. Encouraging responsible consumption. As early as two years ago, the European Parliament was talking about the need for sustainable consumption and the promotion of a "culture of reuse" as a strategy to protect the environment.
"At the business or individual level, every person and company can contribute to encouraging responsible consumption. Alignment with ESG objectives can no longer be optional or purely theoretical. Now is the time to concretely demonstrate that we care, and the actions taken by CreditAmanet in the last 2 years are in this direction", says Cosmin Popovici.
