Where you spend your money matters, and anyone who is dedicated to living a health-conscious and eco-friendly lifestyle should strive to dig deep and uncover eco-friendly businesses. Those who are becoming more eco-conscious can find this tricky, though. The old habits of convenience are difficult to break, and even then, many companies do not always fulfill their eco-friendly promises. So how can you know if a brand is sustainable? Here are four things to think about. 

Ask Them 

The simplest way to know whether a brand is sustainable is to ask them. Yes, this seems too straightforward, but if you don’t ask, you don’t get. 

Eco-friendly and sustainable businesses will be happy to share their information about their environmental policies, and companies that are transparent about their practices are ones you can trust. The issue comes with businesses that shy away from releasing sustainability information, even when they claim to be eco-conscious. This type of red flag is often enough to drive conscious customers away, and it will give you peace of mind in your shopping habits. 

Check Their Certifications 

If you can’t get a direct line to a company, which is often the case for large corporations, you can always look at the certifications. Many states will mandate that specific sustainability goals have been met by a business. The company website should include (legitimate) images of environmental certifications, and businesses that are dedicated to making positive changes will usually have blog posts or reports about their work in improving the state of our planet. 

Research Ratings 

Ratings are important for any business. If deciding which business to work with for anything, consumers will use ratings as a first point-of-call. This type of information is crucial if you’re looking for an event venue, especially places like https://www.thegrandhallkc.com/weddings/ where the environmental impact should not be damaging. Of course, some ratings and reviews have been bought or come from disgruntled customers. Because of this, it’s important to determine which reviews are legitimate and which are trying to settle a score. In environmentally friendly terms, there are websites dedicated to highlighting the environmental impact of certain products to give you a clear idea. 

Be Aware of Greenwashing 

Like many popular trends, you must be careful of large companies jumping on the bandwagon to appeal to a larger demographic. The nature of corporate greenwashing can be misleading, as it is often done with profit in mind rather than any authentic desire to do better in production and distribution practices. Established companies that make a big deal about sustainability rarely follow through, and instead, use their broad reach to green-shame customers into being better. Of course, everyone knows that it is businesses rather than people who contribute the most to environmental damage, so don’t be fooled by company greenwashing.

The Right Brand

Companies great and small are putting a significant emphasis on sustainability and being eco-conscious, and, understandably, not everything will change overnight. Still, the consumer, just like you, has the power to vote with their wallet. The more people who flock to sustainable businesses, the better it will be for the planet.