The strong need for sustainability with Bravo Savings Network

As we edge closer to the holidays and the end of 2020, we would like to extend our gratitude to our partners for another successful year.

This year has been challenging for all of us. We are proud to be able to look back on a successful year, a year marked by excellent cooperation with our publishers and advertisers. 2020 has and 2021 will certainly have some challenges in store.

We at Tradedoubler would like to express our gratitude to our publishers and advertisers by supporting them in their and our heartfelt concerns. Based on this reflection our new format ‘Industry Chats’ was born. We will consult experts from our partnerships to provide you with relevant news from different industries, share best practices and support our partners during this time.

Industry Chat: Sustainability

At Tradedoubler, we commit to sustainability to all aspects of our business. We provide our employees with all necessities to go plastic-free in the office, switched our work to cloud-based working to reduce paper waste, and so on. Whilst we are aware that this is not a quick fix, we believe that every small gesture helps.

As sustainability is such an important topic to us at Tradedoubler and to the world, we use our platform to further shed light on the topic and provide some insights on what one of our partners is doing to inspire each other on how we all can do better.

Our expert of this issue: Chris Russell-Smith – Bravo Savings Network

Let us introduce to you Chris Russell-Smith from Bravo Savings Network. We have discussed the need for sustainability, why we need a change now and how sustainable actions will benefit your business in the long run.

Sustainability is quite a buzzword at the current time. Would you say sustainable behaviour is not only an issue of individuals but also an obligation on companies?

We hear a lot about Sustainability at the moment, and we are going to hear even more about it in the future.  The real-world implications are self-explanatory, and in business, it is going to be a critical factor of success.  Simply put, companies that fail to take it seriously will fail, and those that embrace it will succeed and that may happen much faster than we realise.  And companies ultimately drive and affect the whole issue.

Sustainability addresses the issue of meeting the demands of today, without endangering the success of future generations, and to do this properly we need to have loftier ambitions than what we know today as CSR. 

Companies that are able to look deep within their organisations and operations and take a leading role in addressing issues like diversity, environmental sustainability, and social and supply chain responsibility will reap the dividends in years to come. 

There is a shift in consumer behaviour, demanding more responsibility and visibility from brands. How can sustainable brand actions influence or strengthen a brand?

In the short term, it is sometimes difficult to see the benefits, but the mid-long term is very clear. More and more consumers want reassurance that they are buying from a responsible business. They want to know that their food and clothing is not being provided at the expense of someone else or at a cost to the environment.  Talent wants to work at a business whose values mirror their own, and investors want to invest in businesses with a long-term future.   Businesses that cannot adapt will therefore struggle to fund their future growth or to remain relevant.

Do you have any learnings to share?

Luckily, change is afoot, and small steps lead to big change. Celebrating companies that are on the right track with clear goals is as important as those that are leading the way. 

What are actions Bravo Savings Network is taking to ensure a sustainable work environment and brand?

At Bravo Savings Network we started our journey in 2019. We identified that embracing environmental sustainability would be the best way for us to begin our journey.  For example, moving into our new office, all furniture was sustainably sourced or second-hand, and we instituted guidelines around areas like printing to reduce wastage.  Plastic is discouraged – employees have a glass bottle that can be refilled, and all waste is carefully recycled.  We started a relationship with Eden Forestation Projects, who employ indigenous populations in places like Indonesia and Mozambique on a fair wage to plant and nurture trees.

November 2020 will see the launch of our second Green Friday Challenge, where we will plant a tree for each sale made, and we will continue to innovate in these external activities because it’s important that we influence others as well as making changes ourselves.

Thank you, Chris, and Bravo Savings Network for all your efforts! We look forward to a continued prosperous partnership in 2021 and helping to make a difference to our planet.