If you’ve been thinking about making your business more eco-friendly, you might have heard of becoming a certified Planet Positive Business. It’s a way to show your customers, employees, and partners that you truly care about the environment and are taking action to help it. One group helping businesses do this is planet-positive.org, and getting your certification through them is simpler than you might think.
Start by figuring out where your business stands. Take a look at your current energy use, waste, and how much greenhouse gas you produce. This is often called your carbon footprint. There are free tools online to help you measure it. Once you know your impact, you can make a plan to reduce it.
Reducing doesn’t have to mean big changes right away. Start small—like switching to energy-saving lights, cutting down on printing, or finding ways to use less water. If you have a team, talk to them about ways to reuse materials or take public transport. Small steps add up!
After you’ve reduced what you can, the next step is to balance out the rest. This usually means supporting projects that help the planet. Some businesses support tree planting, clean energy projects, or programs that help others cut their emissions. These are called “carbon offset” projects.
To get certified, you’ll usually need to send proof of your reductions and offsets. This might include receipts, photos, or reports. Some certification programs ask for a short written promise from your business saying you’ll continue working to cut pollution in the future.
Once you’re certified as a Planet Positive Business, you can proudly share it with the world. But getting the certification isn’t the end—it’s just the beginning. Keep looking for new ways to become greener. As the years go by, staying committed is just as important as getting started.
Being a planet-positive business isn’t only about the label. It’s about being honest, doing your best, and improving over time. Customers these days really care about the environment, so making these changes isn’t just good for the planet—it can help your business grow too.
So if you’re thinking about getting started, just take that first step. Learn where you are, choose something to improve, and work your way forward. You don’t have to be perfect—just keep moving in the right direction.