There are many important reasons why businesses should be taking advantage of green initiatives and becoming more eco-friendly. Yes, saving the planet is at the top of the list – but there are plenty of cost saving benefits too.
Implementing more eco-friendly practices, and investing in environmentally friendly technology, may seem like a costly exercise from the outside. But these investments will help save money as well as help to save the planet.
Here are our top tips to help make your business more environmentally friendly.
Invest in energy saving technology
If you’ve ever driven by an office building outside of the 9-5 and seen a completely empty block completely lit up, then you’ll already know LED lighting is a solution. LED bulbs use 70% less energy than incandescent lights and last up to 25 times longer.
Businesses can go one further and invest in smart lighting, which automatically turns off the lights after a few minutes if motion sensors don’t detect anybody in the room. And if you’re still concerned about energy consumption elsewhere, smart energy and water meters will keep staff aware of just how much is being used.
Greener printer practices
In the modern era, many companies are going “paperless” to save the environment – cutting down on wasteful use of printers and notepads to go fully digital. However, the demands of the office mean this isn’t always possible, and so greener practices must be taken.
So, if you do need to print out slides ahead of a presentation, ensure you are using recycled paper, and print on both sides to cut down on waste. And ensure any purchased equipment has the maximum shelf life – HP printer ink can last up to 50 times longer than many competitors, which reduces the cost and the demand to purchase more.
Set up an internal “Green Team”
One of the best ways to keep your business eco-friendly is to get employees to come together and champion green solutions to everyday office problems. Setting up an internal “Green Team” will help ensure all the day to day problems that waste energy are tackled.
This can start with a simple recycling scheme in the office, identifying the different items that can be recycled and setting up specific bins for cardboard, paper, cans and more. For certain items, such as with printer and toner cartridges, there are often incentives for recycling.
But the Green Team will need to go further than just the everyday basics of recycling. Giving the team an allocated budget and energy saving targets will help them stay on top of the challenges you face as a business.
Giving them autonomy to implement the changes will help further, and they can immediately communicate this to their co-workers.
No more plastic bottles
The water cooler is a key area for waste in the office. How many times have you seen somebody pick up a plastic cup, only to bin it immediately after they’ve finished drinking?
A key solution is investing in long life water bottles for the entire office. This has benefits that go far beyond the environment too, as it will ensure your employees remain hydrated and motivated.
It is still recommended that you cut back on general water use in the office, however this can be done in other ways. Using float boosters in your toilets and drought resistant grass on the office lawn can help curb unnecessary water usage.
Remote working where necessary
Events of the past year have shown that businesses can easily adapt to work outside of the office. But now that offices are starting to re-open for business, we shouldn’t discard the idea of remote working.
As well as providing flexibility for employees, remote working has untold environmental benefits in the long term. It can save emissions produced by commuting, as cards produce 4.6 tons of carbon dioxide a year, as well as saving on energy in the office.
Not only can this help save money on electric bills, but this may also help to keep operational costs down further. You may realise you can cut back on the office space you need to work with, reducing rental costs, as well as heating and lighting bills.
These five steps are tried and tested methods for businesses wanting to cut down on their carbon emissions. If you want to go green, you must consider these – the benefits are unlimited.
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