Corona, Business, and the Environment: What’s the impact?

As any business that’s had to rapidly readjust during the Coronavirus Pandemic will tell you, you’ve got to take everything one day at a time. And that couldn’t be more true for the sustainability sector this year.

Earth Day celebrates it’s 50th anniversary in 2020, but not in the way anybody expected. The focus of #EarthDay2020 was supposed to be on businesses and sustainability, on globalization and its environmental impact, and not on a pandemic.

But things have changed quickly. And as many businesses and education providers have moved online, companies and individuals across the globe need to start thinking about their impact on the environment differently.

This is particularly true for businesses that have aligned their purpose with the SDGs, or have a special focus on sustainability and responsible business such as BCORPS Patagonia and Ben and Jerry’s. How do you find a way to balance the safety of your staff with your global footprint?

Venngage researched some of the impacts that COVID19 has had on the environment, both the good and the bad, and found that for every business related environmental benefit there was an equal negative. For every cut commute there was an increased demand for broadband and energy. For every lost business flight, and increase in medical waste or single use plastic.

In time, it will be interested to see how businesses whose business is sustainability have reacted and coped. Will this forced readjustment be the catalyst for lasting change across the sector? Will businesses, now seeing how easy it is to enable remote working and to move meetings and events online, commit to reducing their carbon footprint? Or will the overall increase in energy demands cancel out any god will in this instance?

And who is to say any of these current positives will be long term results? With commutes, flights, and business operations expected to return to normal post pandemic it’s hard to say if there will be any lasting impact on the environment.

Check out some of Venngage’s findings: