Going green isn’t just the trendy thing to do nowadays. It could save your company a lot of money and boost your company’s reputation. You, your employees and your consumers will also feel prouder of being involved in your company knowing that you’re taking steps to protect the planet.
Here are 10 ways to make your business greener:
- Use energy-efficient appliances and lighting. This will help to reduce your energy consumption and save you money on your utility bills.
- Get an energy audit. An energy audit can help you to identify areas where you can improve your energy efficiency.
- Switch to renewable energy sources. This could include solar panels, wind turbines, or geothermal energy.
- Recycle and compost. This will help to reduce the amount of waste that you produce.
- Use eco-friendly cleaning products. These products are less harmful to the environment than traditional cleaning products.
- Offset your carbon emissions. This can be done by planting trees or investing in renewable energy projects.
- Support sustainable businesses. When you buy from sustainable businesses, you are helping to support the green economy.
- Educate your employees about sustainability. This will help them to make more environmentally friendly choices in their work and personal lives.
- Get involved in your community. There are many ways to get involved in your community and make a difference. You could volunteer for an environmental organization, start a community garden, or carpool to work.
- Set sustainability goals. This will help you to track your progress and make sure that you are on track to achieve your sustainability goals.
By following these tips, you can help to make your business greener and more sustainable.
As you can see, there are lots of ways in which you can make your business greener.
Here are just a few MORE green improvements worth considering.
Choose energy-efficient machinery
Whether you’re buying office PCs or factory machinery, it’s important to consider the energy efficiency of the machine. Good energy-efficiency could mean lower energy bills and a better carbon footprint.
Newer machines tend to be more energy-efficient than older machines (so be wary of buying old used machinery). Certain machinery such as computers and printers may come with an energy rating so that you can measure energy efficient the machine is.
Obviously, you can further reduce costs by unplugging machinery when not in use. Even when turned off, many machines still consume some energy when in standby – unplug them or turn them off at the switch to be certain that they’re not using energy.
Switch to LED lighting
You may also want to consider the type of lighting you use. Traditional incandescent bulbs can use a lot of electricity, which could be further adding to your energy bills and your carbon footprint.
LED lighting is a more energy-efficient alternative – LED bulbs can be more expensive to buy, but they last a lot longer, so you’ll easily make up the cost. In many cases, LEDs can even be brighter.
Of course, you should also make sure that you’re using lighting appropriately. Turn off lighting in unused rooms and consider motion sensing lighting for exterior security lighting.
Switch to sustainable energy sources
You can further protect the environment and save money by switching to sustainable energy sources.
Installing solar panels on the roof of your building could allow you to run your business off of solar power. Unlike mains power which relies largely on fossil fuels, solar power relies on the sunlight and causes minimal damage to the environment. While solar panel installation can be expensive, you may never have to pay an electricity bill again, allowing you to make up costs. It’s worth shopping around to find the most affordable and reputable solar panel installation company.
Other sustainable energy sources to consider could include wind power and hydroelectricity.
Go paperless
Reducing paper consumption helps to reduce deforestation. More trees means less CO2 in the air. On top of saving the planet, you’ll also save money spent on paper and could also free up space used for paper documents.
Nowadays there are many digital methods that can reduce the need for paper. Documents can be shared via the cloud or emailed to individuals, saving the need to print off documents. You can even sign documents digitally using signature apps.
Use reusable/recyclable equipment
Another way to improve your company’s impact on the environment could be to buy more reusable/recyclable equipment. Equipment that cannot be reused or recycled results in more waste being sent to landfill sites.
When it comes to reusable equipment, it could be worth considering pallet services that allow pallets to be reused and ink cartridges that can be refilled. As for recyclable equipment, consider disposable PPE and stationery that can be recycled. You may even be able to buy office furniture and tools made from recycled materials.
Switch to bio-friendly cleaning products
Many cleaning products give off VOCs, which aren’t just harmful for the environment but also harmful for our health.
Switching to bio-friendly cleaning products could be another way of making your business greener by reducing VOC emissions. There are many eco-friendly brands of floor cleaner and window cleaner that you can look into. Many of these are just as effective as traditional chemical-based cleaners.
Recycle waste
Another way to make your business greener is to start recycling. There are many products that end up in a landfill site that we could be recycling – sometimes even for cash.
Many old electronics can be stripped for parts and used for repairs. Scrap metal from construction and manufacturing can be molten down and used to make more metal products. Old desks and boards used in construction may even be possible to convert into reclaimed wood for others to use. Then of course, there are everyday waste items like plastic, paper and card that can be recycled.
By sourcing out recycling companies, you can arrange to have this waste picked up and taken to a place where it can be reused. Some of these companies will pay money for your scrap – particularly when it comes to old electronics and scrap metal.
Raise money for environmental causes
There are many environmental projects out there that require funding including replanting forests, cleaning beaches, cleaning oceans, setting up recycling plants, setting up energy farms and conserving rare wildlife. Your company may be able to raise money to put towards such projects as a way of giving back to the planet.
There are many ways to raise this money including hosting a charity fundraising event, keeping a donation box or creating charity products in which certain proceeds go towards environmental causes. These could be fundraising activities in which you can get employees and customers involved. You may even be able to make these a part of your advertising, potentially drawing in more customers that are interested in environmental causes.
Promote green practices among Employees
Do Customers Really Care About Your Environmental Impact?
There may be ways to encourage employees to take up green practices.
For instance, if you have company vehicles which employees drive, you could consider tracking vehicle usage and offering bonuses to employees that drive economically. This could make employees more conscious of how much fuel they’re consuming and reduce your company’s carbon footprint.
Another option could be to encourage more employees to work from home. This could cut out the need to commute, saving fuel. It could also reduce energy consumption at your company.
There may be other creative ways to get employees to be more environmentally friendly. Consider discussing different measures with your team and see what they come up with.
Promote green practices among Customers
The Elusive Green Consumer
You can also encourage your customers to be more green.
If you run a shop for instance, you could take small measures such as charging for a disposable plastic bag. This could encourage more customers to bring their own bags.
Recyclable packaging could also encourage customers to recycle. Many food manufacturers have swapped out non-recyclable plastic for recyclable plastic and card where possible. This helps to reduce your company’s overall waste.
You may be able to survey customers to get ideas of other ways in which you can make your company more green. These could be strategies to help fellow customers also be more green such as offering to fill up water bottles or changing from paper billing to digital billing.
