4 Tips on Making Your Startup More Sustainable

From disposable cutlery to business models, a few Cove Partners share some tips on how startups can become more sustainable.

Developing a startup can claim all types of resources (beyond personal sanity), ranging from the glowing light bulbs during those late nights developing pitch decks to that disposable coffee cup tossed into the trash right before an investor meeting. Startups can take environmentally responsible actions both big and small, according to a few sustainably focused Cove Partners at UCI Beall Applied Innovation. These Cove Partners have made it their mission to make a positive impact on the environment.

From disposable cutlery to business models, a few Cove Partners share some tips on how startups can become more sustainable.

1. Replace plastics with biodegradable products.

Eliminating single-use items, like coffee cups and printer paper, can make a big difference for the office and the planet.

“Due to the biodegradability and renewability of biopolymers, petroleum-based plastics can be replaced with bio-based polymers in order to minimize the environmental risks,” said Alex Mond, president of Makamer, Inc. “Bioplastic non-toxic behavior that is safe for the environment is the idea of sustainable impact on our ecosystem. Bioplastics are one of the most innovative, environmentally friendly materials developed.”

Cove partner Makamer, Inc. is a leading bioplastics technologies company that specializes in creating 100% biodegradable plastics using hemp-polymers that are fully compostable within days to months leaving no traces of toxins or microplastics behind.

2. Evaluate your supply chain.

Supply chain can include a variety of details such as materials, transportation, packaging and more. Every change can help make a positive impact on the environment.

“Renewable materials are the key to a more sustainable future. Evaluate your supply chain, and the environmental impact of the resources used to create your products,” said Ella Csuka, founder and CEO of Ecotune. “Look for sustainable solutions that are made from biobased inputs, and materials that can biodegrade at their end-of-life.”

Ecotune is a sustainable materials startup based at the Cove @UCI that is developing scalable, high-performance, circular materials solutions for fabric and packaging industries.

3. Develop carbon credit.

Carbon credits place a limit on carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions, according to Investopedia. Companies are incentivized to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by either making money when emissions are reduced or spending money when emissions increase.

“You can help other companies buy carbon credit. This brings revenue and helps others invest in the environment,” said Mond.

4. Make ESG a part of your business model.

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) are a set of standards that determines how a company performs with the natural environment in mind in addition to social values and leadership. ESG, according to Scott Kitcher, president and CEO of Sustain SoCal, a company that accelerates cleantech economic growth and sustainability, has become an increasingly important part of how investors evaluate and invest in a company.

“Sustainability should be very much a part of your business model,” said Kutcher. “If you want to succeed, you need to have those metrics in mind because you’re eventually going to be in somebody’s supply chain and they’re probably going to have an ESG or sustainability policy and will make sure their supply chain remains in compliance with what they want.”

Sustain SoCal offers a course series focused on sustainability and practical strategies in ways companies can make a positive impact.

Learn more about UCI Beall Applied Innovation’s ecosystem of Cove Partners at the Cove @ UCI.

Main Graphic: Evans Akanno

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