Earth Day for businesses 2025: How to get involved

Your business can be eco-friendly, too. This Earth Day, follow these tips to reduce your carbon footprint, save your business money, and attract more customers. 

What is Earth Day?

This year, tuesday, 22nd April, is Earth Day 2025. 

As this day approaches, communities worldwide will observe Earth Day, a pivotal moment for businesses, individuals, and organizations to collectively address the challenges of climate change and overpopulation on the environment. 

This global observance will feature an array of activities aimed at environmental improvement, including the planting of 550,000 trees by The Canopy Project and the removal of 7,500,000 pounds of garbage through The Great Global Cleanup – to name just a few examples.

The theme for Earth Day 2025, "Our Power, Our Planet," calls on global citizens to champion renewable energy solutions and aims to triple the generation of clean electricity by 2030. This initiative underscores a commitment to securing a sustainable and thriving future for our planet and its diverse ecosystems.

Why is Earth Day important to your business?

The importance of Earth Day for businesses cannot be overstated, especially in light of recent findings. According to the Thomson Reuters 2024 State of Corporate ESG report, 71% of corporate leaders recognize ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) strategies as a competitive edge, with 82% anticipating its influence on corporate performance to increase—a notable rise from 72% in 2023¹.

But that's not all. The trend toward sustainability is reshaping consumer behavior profoundly, too. 

According to Forbes², retailers are witnessing a surge in demand for products that are not only eco-friendly but also ethically produced and sourced. This shift is driven by consumers' growing awareness of environmental issues and their experiences with climate change effects, motivating them to prefer companies that demonstrate commitment to sustainable practices. 

In fact, according to PwC, a significant portion of consumers are willing to pay an average premium of 9.7% for goods that are sustainably produced or sourced³, reflecting a readiness to invest in products that align with their values.

So, this Earth Day, take the opportunity to reflect on your business’s impact on the planet and seize the moment to assess and communicate your business's dedication to sustainability. Such efforts will resonate deeply with your clientele, enhancing brand loyalty and positively impacting your financial performance.

7 things your business can do to mark Earth Day 2025

1. Embrace small changes

Think about the immediate eco-friendly changes you can make within your workplace. Do you recycle? Turn off lights and monitors when they’re not in use? Offer a cycle-to-work scheme for employees?

On a larger scale, look at where you can reduce wastage along your supply chain. By maximizing efficiencies there – via something as simple as redesigning your warehouse layout to put the most popular products closer to the packing station – you’ll save your business time and money.

2. Get stuck in

Round up your employees, roll your sleeves up and get to work! You could head to the local park to pick up litter, plant an organic garden, or challenge yourself not to use any paper on the day.

Get your customers involved, too. If you sell sustainable products, send your customers discount codes for them to use on Earth Day. You could also run an Earth Day-themed competition with the winner receiving a product bundle. Whatever you do, keep it fun!

3. Donate to show your support

You could donate a portion of your sales proceeds on Earth Day to an environmental charity. Look at local organizations doing great things in your community, or check out global environmental organizations supporting sustainability.

4. Be mindful of your packaging

Packaging is often perceived as the bad part of e-commerce – and certainly something your customers are paying attention to. You may have seen the “packaging shaming” photos people have posted online of their deliveries arriving swathed in reams of excessive packaging.

Fortunately, there is a wave of innovative companies developing packaging made from greener materials – from Notpla’s seaweed-based takeaway boxes⁴, to Botanical PaperWorks’ plantable seed paper⁵ that can grow into wildflowers or vegetables. By exploring these alternatives, you can significantly enhance your brand's reputation and contribute to environmental conservation.

For businesses looking to integrate these sustainable practices, DHL Express offers a compelling solution with our 100% recyclable packaging. The GoGreen packaging utilizes minimalistic design features with boxes made from unbleached materials and printed with a single-color, eco-friendly black ink. This approach not only reduces the use of chemicals and harmful dyes but also avoids the additional costs usually associated with sustainable packaging by offering these recyclable boxes free to DHL Express customers. 

Designed to withstand the rigors of international shipping, these green packages ensure the safe and secure delivery of your goods, from small electronics to bulky items, without compromising on environmental responsibility. 

By opting for DHL’s GoGreen solutions, businesses can contribute to sustainability in shipping while ensuring their products are delivered safely and cost-effectively.

5. Advance green logistics with carbon insetting

Given the current emphasis on sustainable practices, carbon insetting offers a forward-thinking solution for businesses aiming to directly reduce their ecological footprints. Unlike carbon offsetting, which compensates for emissions through external projects, carbon insetting involves integrating sustainable practices directly into the core operations of a company to directly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This could include adopting sustainable aviation fuel or improving energy efficiency, offering a pathway to substantial, sector-specific reductions in carbon emissions, and embedding sustainability into the very fabric of business operations.

Carbon insetting also presents numerous benefits for businesses:

• Simplifies procurement processes: Carbon insetting allows companies to directly invest in their own emission reduction projects, enhancing control and transparency over sustainability initiatives.
• Seamless integration into business models: This approach supports the adoption of sustainable practices without disrupting operational efficiency.
• Comprehensive emission reduction: Carbon insetting addresses both direct and indirect emissions throughout a company’s operations and supply chain. It capitalizes on opportunities to reduce emissions in critical areas such as transportation, manufacturing, and waste management, leading to substantial environmental benefits.

As a leader in green logistics solutions, DHL Express is dedicated to supporting businesses in integrating these sustainable practices. The GoGreen Plus program is designed to help businesses enhance their environmental and social responsibility efforts. By participating in this program, companies can reduce their carbon emissions and gain detailed insights into their carbon footprint through our advanced reporting tools, ensuring they can measure and understand their environmental impact accurately.

6. Be clear about your sustainability practices

Whatever you decide to do to celebrate Earth Day, be sure to let your customers know. Sustainability is important to them – in fact, 70% of consumers are more inclined to buy from a brand whose values align with their own⁶ – so share information about your company’s environmental ethos on your e-commerce website and across your social media channels. Invite feedback and suggestions from your customers, too.

7. Promote sustainable commuting

Take a significant step towards sustainability by encouraging eco-friendly commuting options within your company. 

Promoting alternatives like cycling, walking, public transport, and carpooling can profoundly impact environmental conservation and employee well-being. To support these initiatives, consider implementing a cycle-to-work scheme, offering subsidies for public transport passes, or facilitating electric vehicle leasing. Additionally, embracing remote work arrangements can drastically reduce your organization's overall commuting footprint. 

Partner with DHL Express for sustainable shipping

DHL Express proudly introduces the GoGreen Plus service, a revolutionary step in transforming business logistics into a force for environmental stewardship. This innovative service is designed to significantly reduce the carbon emissions associated with your shipments, making it easier for businesses to contribute positively to the planet.

GoGreen Plus leverages Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), derived from renewable resources like recycled waste and used cooking oil, to decrease carbon emissions by up to 30%. This groundbreaking fuel choice is not just a more sustainable alternative but also a proactive way to reduce the environmental impact of global logistics.

Unlike traditional carbon offset programs, which compensate emissions through activities such as tree planting, GoGreen Plus integrates carbon insetting. This method allows businesses to directly invest in SAF, thus reducing emissions at the source rather than compensating for them elsewhere. By opting for GoGreen Plus, companies can actively participate in diminishing their carbon footprint in real-time.

Businesses using GoGreen Plus will receive a verified CO₂ reduction certificate, providing tangible proof of their commitment to sustainability and simplifying the process of sustainability reporting. Available for contractual commitment or on a per-shipment basis through MyDHL+, GoGreen Plus offers flexibility in how businesses choose to engage with eco-friendly shipping solutions.

With GoGreen Plus, partner with DHL Express not just for logistics solutions but for a sustainable future. Embrace this opportunity to align your shipping practices with your environmental values, reducing your carbon footprint while maintaining the high standards of service and reliability that DHL is known for globally.

Open a business account with DHL Express today to seamlessly integrate sustainability into your shipping operations and take a step towards reducing your environmental impact.