10 Easy Ways to Make Your Business More Environmentally Friendly

If you want to make your business more appealing to your customers, then one thing you can do is focus on being green. Customers are now more conscious than ever about the environment, so if you can take steps to make sure that your business is as green as possible then this will work in your favour far more than you realise.

Offer Remote Work

More and more work is now being done online, and as a result, there isn’t much need for people to be working in a physical office. If you want to help your company to be more environmentally friendly, then one thing you can do is offer remote work. The best thing about remote work is that your team won’t have to drive to the office, and you can cut down on your general expenses too. Your team can have way more flexibility with work and your carbon footprint will be drastically reduced. You will also be saving money in terms of lighting, heating and general office supplies so it’s not hard to see what a huge impact this could have on your company overall.

Public Commuter Benefits

If you have a team who do need to work in the office, then one thing you can do is try and make sure that their commute is as green as possible. Public transport, which can include buses, trains and even vanpools, is the best way for you to encourage a green commute. If you run a small business, then why not offer public transportation benefits? You can even invest in HR software so you can centralise everything. By doing this, you can give your team the option to cut down on the impact that they have on the environment while boosting your business image in general.

Sustainable Products

The items that you buy to make sure that your workplace is functioning well, whether it is pens, printer paper or even cleaning products, can all be detrimental to the environment. If you want to help your business here, then one thing you can do is make sure that you use recycled products where possible. If you need to use cleaning products, then try and choose a green cleaner that doesn’t have any toxic chemicals that could be harmful to the environment. Natural ingredients work just as well, so make sure that you look into what is available today. Hiring a green cleaning service is a great option if you want to make a fast change.

Sustainable Packaging

If you sell and ship products, you need to make sure that you focus on packaging. Material adds up very quickly at the end of the day, and surveys have indicated that over 50% of customers would be more likely to buy from a retailer if they used degradable packaging. Recycled paper and even cardboard are tried-and-tested options, but at the end of the day, there have also been strides toward creating compostable packaging that results in absolutely no waste. Considering the growing importance of eco-friendly packaging, rapid prototyping packaging techniques have gained traction as a way to test and refine sustainable materials without compromising product integrity.

Second-Hand Finds

If you want to deck out your office, then you don’t need to pay a small fortune to get all of your furniture brand-new. It takes a lot of energy and raw materials to manufacture these items, but it is possible for you to take the green route if you are willing to take a look at what recycled options are out there. The great thing about doing this is that you can stop fully functional furniture from being tossed into a landfill and you can also adopt a new style for your company as well.

Energy-Efficiency

Being energy-efficient is one of the best ways for you to save money. You can do a lot of simple things here, whether it is using energy-efficient appliances or even moving to LED lights. You can adopt a smart thermostat too while taking advantage of natural light. Saving money, and saving the planet, are two things that are very much linked, so make sure that you keep that in mind where possible.

Reduce and Recycle

One of the best ways for you to keep waste from going to a landfill would be for you to avoid sending it there, to begin with. As a company, you need to try and reduce usage where you can. Stay away from disposable cups, utensils and even coffee pods. Instead, opt for glass or ceramic if you can. Reuse items where possible. If you have structurally intact boxes in your warehouse, then you can use this as storage for your other items. Employees should also be encouraged to use both sides of the printer paper too. If you can do this, then you will soon find that things end up working in your favour. If you find that you cannot reduce or reuse your waste, then make sure that you do the next best thing and recycle it. A lot of cities can provide you with recycling bins if you request them. If you have a lot of waste, then you may want to look into getting a waste baler.

Compost

Another way for you to try and stop waste from going to a landfill would be for you to try and compost. More and more cities are now able to compost any organic matter that you produce, so make sure that you are mindful of that. The difference between you composting a banana peel and sending it to the landfill would be the composted option decays quickly and can be used as soil for parks and gardens. The landfill banana peel on the other hand, slowly decays and it gives off a lot of methane gas. This is a way more destructive gas overall. As a small business, you have a responsibility to the environment, so you need to make sure that you are recycling as many lunch leftovers as possible. Only then can you be sure that you are doing everything you can to take care of the environment.

Green Hosting

Websites use energy as well, so if you want your business to be as green as possible, it is a good idea for you to make sure that you take this into account. When your site is hosted on a server, the server is constantly on, and this means that it is using copious amounts of energy. One thing to know is that companies can now choose where their data is stored. You can go carbon-neutral, and this is a great way for you to contribute to the amount of energy you use.

Work with Green Companies

If you can, you need to do what you can to work with other green companies. From software companies to food businesses and more. You need to try and make sure that you focus on your supply chain and that you do what you can to lessen your footprint. If you can do this, then you will soon find that it is easier than ever for you to save energy while making a difference to the environment.

So, as you can see, there are a lot of things you can do to try and boost how efficient your business is while having a major impact on the environment. If you want to make the biggest difference, then one thing you can do is get an energy audit. When you get an audit done, you can then make sure that you are focusing on the areas of your company that are releasing the most emissions, so keep that in mind if you can.