Climate change affects many lives all over the world, and your business is not exempt from that. If you want to stay profitable, you need to make some changes. No enterprise is immune to the weather. Floods and forest fires can disrupt supply chains, or even do worse. Here are some potential improvements you can make to your business so climate change won’t cripple or damage it.
1. Secure your physical properties
The first change would be to protect your actual physical business. Climate change-caused weather disasters can devastate the physical locations of your store or factory. Assess what sort of danger your facilities are facing. Knowing the risks then allow you to protect them. For example, if your factory is in a flood-prone zone, installing retaining wall systems can be a good investment for this situation. Retaining walls can divert the flow of water away from integral areas of your factory. You can also use them to prevent soil erosion and potential landslides.
2. Assess your suppliers for climate risks
Every business nowadays depends a lot on their supply line. Disruptions to deliveries can cause production delays. While you can’t do anything for your suppliers, you can be selective about them. Ask about how a company plans to deal with supply chain disruptions. For example, if your company depends on a specific part or material, knowing that a supplier is dependable can be reassuring. If the company has no ready answer, you should coordinate with them. You can then ensure no disruptions happen. You can also line up backup suppliers so you have an alternative.
3. Move to e-commerce
The pandemic revealed that many businesses can still keep operating even with major disruptions. One method is by increasing the e-commerce abilities of a business. Many people continue to buy things even under lockdown. With e-commerce, your business can still sell without the need for your physical offices to open. Minimal maintenance also ensures your business has a healthy profit margin with it. If your business can’t do business on the internet right now, you should start implementing it now.
4. Consider distributing your workforce
Besides e-commerce, there is also the move towards work-at-home. Allowing workers to telecommute ensures that they are still working despite the weather outside. Additionally, it can help keep continuity. In the past, businesses employed people near their physical location. But with telecommuting, you can have employees across the world. This allows your operations to stay running even when one part of the world has floods, fires, or other natural disasters. With proper coordination, your international team can handle the challenge of climate change.
Climate change-proofing your business is an intelligent move. While the changes above can be expensive, they are an investment in the future. Implement them before your competitors, and they will be the ones playing catch up when the weather affects their operations. Consult with experts and formulate your solutions so that your business can better face the future of climate change.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
