Become an eco-friendly business by reducing your carbon footprint
We’re now living in an age where the evidence of climate change is all around us. Climate change is a very real problem and businesses, both large and small, should be taking it upon themselves to ensure that they are doing their bit for our environment.
Making environmentally friendly business choices creates a positive company image and is great for PR. People buy into a business’ image and values, and by ensuring that your business does what it can to operate in a way that looks after our environment you demonstrate responsibility and an investment in the future. A conscientious reputation can even give you that little edge over your competitors.
You may be surprised to find that whilst saving the planet with the eco-friendly ideas mentioned in this blog, many of the tips will help save your business money in the long run too, making going green a no-brainer.
Paperless billing
Whilst making your workplace a completely paper-free zone may sound like a daunting task, implementing paperless billing, or at least offering it as an option, is an excellent place to start.
Making billing digital where possible will not only cut out wasted paper, it will also reduce admin your end and offer customers an easy and convenient way of viewing their bill.
Cloud Computing
Investing in Cloud Computing is another step in the direction of becoming a paper-free zone. It minimises the need to print things out by allowing employees and clients the flexibility to access files from any location.
Not only is the Cloud an efficient green solution, it is also a very safe place to store your business data and is often an essential part of a business disaster recovery plan.
Energy efficient lighting
Switching from old and inefficient light-bulbs to new energy efficient options is a quick and easy way of making a difference. Whilst energy efficient bulbs may cost a little more to buy upfront, they last a long time, therefore reducing waste and saving your business money in the long run.
Don’t offer throwaway cups
How many plastic water cups do you throw away in a day, a week, a year? Rather than providing employees with unsustainable throwaway plastic or paper cups in the canteen, encourage them to bring in their own reusable drinking vessels to cut down on wastage and unnecessary resources and pollution.
Promote lift sharing and cycling to work
With many commuters naming traffic as the number of bane of their lives, finding ways to improve employee transport to and from work is a great perk for staff as well as the environment.
Give your employees a reason to get enthused about reducing their carbon emissions by promoting a bike to work or lift sharing initiative. Your initiative could provide a financial incentive or advice and support to help those interested.
Choose sustainable suppliers
As well as watching your own business’ green policies, start investigating those of the suppliers you work with. If there is a more sustainable option out there it may be time to make changes.
Write up an environmental policy
Collate all your great ideas on how establish an eco friendly business by shrinking its carbon footprint. Having a shored-up environmental policy is useful because it can be used both as your employees’ go-to guide and a handy reference. Remember: you should tell your customers that you’ve gone green. (It’s good for the planet and it’s good advertising.)
Nominate one person in the business (even if it’s you) who will manage and drive your policy. It’s important that your employees and customers understand its benefits.
Buy office supplies and furniture that will last
Instead of regularly spending money on cheap, throwaway items with no longevity, choose to invest in higher quality office supplies and furniture that are built to last.
Although buying sustainable items is preferable, if your budget doesn’t stretch this far, investing in something that will last longer is still beneficial as it reduces resources used and pollution caused by manufacturing.
Becoming an eco friendly business takes effort, but it’s worth it to, you know, save the world.
Did we mention customers love it? Recent studies suggest that most customers care about making eco friendly business choices, and that this number is growing steadily.