Today, the world is moving toward initiatives promoting the planet’s conservation. And businesses, too, are supporting greener earth.
Did you know that although 90% of businesses believe that sustainability is important, only 60% of companies actually have sustainability measures? So if you wish to know how to make your business more eco-friendly, then these tips will come in handy!
1. Conduct a self-audit
The first step toward making your business more green-friendly is understanding the areas that require change. And that can only be done if you perform a self-audit.
For example, figure out the carbon footprint recorded by your business every month and then see the ways in which it can be reduced. Having the necessary information beforehand will help you to generate awareness among your employees.
Other areas you can consider are packaging materials, recycling goods, and disposal and sourcing of raw materials.
2. Save as much energy as possible
Energy will vary depending on the kind of business that you have. But even then, an average company utilizes about 15,000 to 20,000 kWh of energy a year.
To make sure that you’re not wasting any of it, be sure to maximize natural lighting in and around your office. This will eliminate the need to switch on artificial lights and lamps, at least during the day.
For areas where natural light won’t seep in, install motion-sensing lights so they can turn off by themselves when inactivity. You can also paint your walls a light shade to reflect as much light as possible.
3. Switch to paperless business cards
Conventional paper-based business cards are not only cumbersome but also deplete a lot of natural resources.
For example, in a single year, a company uses paper business cards that cause the depletion of 415 trees, 166,000 gallons of water, and 25,000 pounds each of carbon emissions and waste.
But if you switch to digital or paperless business cards, you can save a huge amount of natural resources and cut down your marketing costs at the same time.
4. Build an eco-friendly website
Another major area where you can promote a sustainable business is by creating an eco-friendly website. Every time a customer or user makes an action on your website, a request is sent to the main server, which takes up carbon-based energy.
So if you build a complex website that requires a lot of commands, it will generate more carbon footprint. So try to reduce your website weight, right down to backend links, and make it as eco-friendly as possible.
Use darker colors on your homepage because they require less energy to illuminate the screen, with black using minimum energy.
5. Reduce water consumption
You obviously can’t ask your workers to stop drinking water, but many other things can be done to ensure your company conserves water mindfully.
Some of the basic steps you can take are to ensure that there are no leaky or faulty taps in the office premises. Ask your employees to shut the taps properly after every use and install taps that shut off automatically.
Talk to your building manager or plumber about drip irrigation or wastewater management so that the drained or flushed-out water can also be recycled.
6. Choose green suppliers
One relatively easy choice you can make is to opt for eco-friendly suppliers who transport their goods using CNG-powered trucks or cars.
When you partner up with other companies for collaboration, choose only places that are mindful of the environment. For example, collaborate with a company that runs on solar or wind power to promote the use of renewable energy resources.
This way, not only will your customers understand that you take the protection of the environment seriously, but your company will also become sustainable.
7. Use second-hand items
When it comes to furnishing your office or putting up decorations, you don’t always have to go to a store and buy the most expensive pieces.
Instead, buy second-hand furniture that is sold in good condition. Then, even if one or two pieces seem a little worn out, you can always renovate them.
This will save you a lot of money and cut down on the raw materials required to build tables, chairs, doors, etc.
Go to your local thrift store and check out which pieces are reusable. Then, ask your employees to do the same for their private office spaces.
Over to you…
When environmental sustainability becomes a core value of your business, you’ll always figure out new ways to take steps for the betterment of the planet and society!
© 2023, Divine Magazine. All rights reserved.
