Consumers are becoming more and more aware of the impact of their activity on the environment. In 2014, a survey carried out across the globe found that more than half of consumers were prepared to pay more for services and goods from companies that have good environmental practices. By incorporating environmentally friendly practices into your business, not only will you be doing your bit for the environment, but you will be helping your bottom line. Bear in mind that if you do advertise yourself as being eco-friendly, it is absolutely vital that you do what you say you are doing. Misleading your customers by ‘greenwashing’ them (false claims of sustainability) can be worse than not claiming to be green in the first place.
1)Leave The Cars At Home
Leaving your car at home and walking, cycling, or using public transport to get to work if possible is a huge step towards doing your bit for the environment, and, not only that, it will save you money and increase exercise and fitness levels. When looking for new business premises, look for locations that are easily accessible by foot, bike or public transport and provide lockers for employees to store helmets or clothing in and somewhere to secure bikes. By facilitating this, you will encourage more of your employees to leave their vehicles at home, or car share if alternatives are not possible.
2) Work From Home
Obviously, this is not possible for all workplaces, but with ne cloud technology, working remotely and from home is much easier than it ever has been. This saves on you opening up another building and paying out for gas and electric and reduces the traffic and vehicle emissions out on the road.
3) Reduce Water Usage
Make sure all dripping taps and leaks are fixed as soon as possible and install low-flow toilets and faucets in washrooms. If you have gardens watered by sprinklers, look at changing to a drip system to reduce water wastage and have rain sensors, so they are not used unless necessary. If you use oils in your company, make sure you make the most of oil water containment technology to make sure you are not letting oils into natural water sources.
4) Switch to cloud computing
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Cloud computing has many benefits for small businesses, but when it comes to trying to be a little more eco-friendly, it can make a huge difference. Firstly, it reduces the need for expensive servers to be purchased and managed. Secondly, it allows your employees to work remotely and thirdly, with everyone able to access documents digitally, there is less need for printing out hard-copies.
5) Reduce Single-Use Products
When you’re busy in the office, ti can be tempting to have all the convenience items possible, from single cup coffee pods to plastic cups that are thrown away after one use. We now know that single-use plastic is one of the most significant issues facing the environment at the moment, so if you can reduce that, you’re well on your way. Buy in some cheap, branded mugs and encourage the use of those, and install a water fountain with paper or reusable cups rather than plastic bottles.
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