Now more than ever more companies have realized the importance and the effects that may have on the environment. Among many other benefits that developing a sustainable business strategy brings, a reason why many companies have adopted these beliefs is for the sake of the brand’s reputation.
Although this sort of responsibility is considered a great strategy to improve reputation, enhance sales and accountability, they’ve realized that looking at it only from this perspective is more than inadequate. Adopting sustainability is highly essential for your business efficiency from many points of view. Thus, being more sustainable this year will make your business more innovative and disruptive, decrease expenses by saving water, energy, and reusing waste.
There are many great examples of sustainable thinking in the U.K as we see from small companies like Celtic Renewables, known to be the first business to create biofuel from whiskey by-products. They combine residues and pot ale to create high-value renewable products, including biobutanol. Such alternatives are much needed in a world where climate change becomes even more dangerous, and resources and biodiversity are big-time threatened. No matter what your business may be, implementing small changes in the way your company works and perceives thinks, means you’re doing more than your bit to save the planet.
1. Promote Recycle Among Your Employees and Customers
Is well-known that workplaces are full of disposable coffee cups, paper, cardboard and more. All these materials are recyclable, so it must be disposed of correctly. Although making both your employees and customers support and implement recycling in daily activities may be difficult, it isn’t as impossible as you believe. Here are some of the modalities you may use to encourage your employees and customers to recycle.
Raise Awareness
Because not everyone realizes how important recycling can be, a great way to bring these issues among your employees would be to teach them about the importance of recycling and bring on the table the effects our waste has on the environment. The main reason for this awareness is to make them understand what actually can be recycled since there is a lot of confusion over plastic and other materials.
Reminders
We often forget a lot of essential things, let alone recycling. When it comes to hustle and bustle form the working place, placing posters around can be a good way of reminding your employees how and why they should recycle.
Cleaning Staff
Even though your regular employees stress the importance of recycling, there is a big chance that your cleaning staff will overlook these details. So, make sure everyone in your business knows what’s the deal with recycling.
2. Energy Savings
Because people spend a lot of their time at the workplace, a huge part of their environmental impact happens in the office. How so? Choices we make in our daily routines at work may also contribute to a more responsible world. The sooner we start to implement responsible choice the better will be for the environment. You can start by looking for new ways to reduce your business’s energy consumption altogether. A great way of doing it is by replacing the old lightbulbs in your company with more energy-efficient lights such as the CFL or LED. Indeed, they may cost a bit more than you’ve expected but they last longer and help you avoid those unexpected energy expenses.
3. Furnish and Dispose of Earth-friendly
It’s more than fulfilling to see big industries changing their perspective towards environmental issues and acting for the better. Even though it might be very enticing to invest in new furniture, this actually isn’t an eco-friendly choice. In case you plan to re-furnish your company, you should consider a second-hand alternative. Investing in second-hand furniture isn’t only a way to encourage the fight for climate change, but a faster and cheaper alternative to improving your office design.
Supposing your company has plenty of old furniture to dispose of, you may consider donating or selling it before throwing it away. Before refinishing your business building, you should notify your waste service provider or in case you’ve always wanted to take part in the recycling process, you may research about machines that bale waste and even rent one so your employees can be physically involved and better appreciate this process.
4. Consider PCWs
You can either choose to go completely paperless and totally reduce the need of cutting down trees by using only a digital system, or you can switch on a paper alternative which is composed of post-consumer waste. These PCWs are one of the few products you can actually trust which is made entirely out of recycled paper.
5. Encourage Green Transportation
This is one of the most important even the healthiest ways to promote green thinking in your company. Encouraging and even rewarding your employees and customers for using green alternatives to transportation such as biking, ride-sharing or public transportation services is a right attitude against carbon emissions. Both industrial and individual means of transportation have contributed to a larger carbon footprint. Analyze the industrial transportation your business utilizes and partner only with a loyal service provider that runs on the greenest ways possible and respect your choices.
6. Take Advantage of the Cloud
Perform a self-audit, analyze, discuss and plan with your staff the next improvements you’re bringing to make your business as sustainable as possible. Beside going paperless, a large number of companies that promote sustainability are taking advantage of the cloud. Some of the most popular tools your business shouldn’t overlook are Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive. These will provide your business with an eco-friendly manner to store and access all of your digital files. No paper, no mess, this is a cheaper, greener way to boost your business efficiency and save the environment.
Making your business more sustainable this year will not only promote your brand, gain more customer attention and increase your financial status, but you inspire and take part in a much vital cause.
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