10 Easy Ways To Make Your Business More Eco-Friendly

Saving our planet from the doom of global warming is all about becoming more sustainable, efficient and eco-friendly. The enormity of this mission extends itself to all areas of life, from your home to your business.

Whether it be through their own values and morals or a response to increased social, political or consumer pressure surrounding climate change, more and more businesses are looking at how they can reduce their carbon footprint.

The urgency to increase sustainability and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels has never been stronger, and every step taken towards creating a greener, more eco-friendly environment makes a difference.

If you own or manage a business, or want to help ensure the workplace in which you work is as sustainable and environmentally friendly as it could be, follow these 10 simple steps!

1) Recycle and use reusable supplies

In the U.S. alone, 1.6 billion plastic pens are thrown away each year. Low-cost, single-use plastic supplies such as this have a huge impact on the environment due to littering and waste.

Aim to use recyclable and reusable materials, such as employee water bottles instead of plastic bottles, whenever possible. Also, make sure your recycling bins are clearly labelled and that your team is completely aware of what can and can’t be recycled.

2) Use a renewable energy provider

If you are not yet using your own renewable energy, be sure to check what sort of power you are paying for on your tariff. To reduce your carbon footprint, it is very important you are using renewable energy as much as possible.

Find out who supplies green energy in the UK.

3) Don’t throw away old furniture and electronics

Sometimes, offices need a refurb; a refreshed look; an update. We get that. However, there’s no reason why your older furniture and computers should be thrown in the skip to make way for the new items.

No, instead you should look to sell your chairs and desks. Try trading them in at charity shops or selling them on the likes of Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree.

4) Invest in your own renewable energy

Reducing your reliance on the grid and creating your own renewable energy is the most efficient and sustainable change you can make in reducing your business’s carbon footprint.

By generating your own recyclable power using natural resources, you dramatically reduce the emissions your business produces.

Check out our renewable energy guides for further info on this:

Everything you need to know about geothermal power

5) Introduce a car-pool system

Car emissions are one of the biggest contributing factors to global warming as they massively increase the amount of greenhouse gases trapped in our atmosphere.

Some of your staff more than likely arrive to work from the same direction via similar routes. Why not encourage them to share lifts into work, therefore making full use of a car’s seats while reducing the amount of fuel emissions stemming from your employees’ commutes?

6) Offer bike-to-work perks and features

Cycling to work is one of the most efficient ways of commuting, so why not incentivise your employees to do so?

Enable your team to cut down on the emissions they generate through driving and public transport by offering bike-to-work perks. These can be as little as safe storage for bicycles in your building, right on through to offering savings and vouchers on bicycles and bike accessories.

7) Use electric cars

If your company offers company vehicles as a staff benefit, or uses vehicles to transport goods, why not consider an electric car or hybrid?

We appreciate that transportation is a must-have for a lot of businesses, but there is often no need to have a huge, gas-guzzling vehicle in place of a more efficient, eco-friendly electric or hybrid option.

By getting on board with the electric revolution, your business will appear modern and ahead of the curve, as well as conscientious of the environment. Win, win!

8) Use digital comms more than print

Try to avoid print communication when digital or over-the-phone is an equally viable option. This will cut down on print and mailing costs on the environment and your bank balance!

9) Cut down on energy wastage

Little things like turning off equipment and lights when they are not in use can make a huge difference to your business’s environmental impact.

Through saving energy, you are reducing the number of fumes released from power plants. It’s also worth investing in energy-saving light bulbs to cut down energy wastage.

10) Measure your carbon footprint!

Make sure you keep track of your progress and the positive changes you are making. The best way to improve and ensure everyone is on board with the fantastic things your business is doing is to continually measure your carbon footprint against set goals.

You have a key role in implementing positive change

Few things have as big a say on the future of our planet than that of businesses all over the world. It’s time to start implementing and influencing the positive, pivotal changes our planet needs in order to survive.

If you would like further advice on climate change, sustainability and renewable energy, please get in touch with our friendly team today!