6 ways to make your business more environmentally friendly

Climate change is one of the biggest threats facing our planet, with such consequences as flooding, reduced biodiversity and more natural hazards. In times like this, it’s important that we all do what we can to help, as even small acts can make a difference.

Here are 6 ways to easily make your business more environmentally friendly.

1. Reduce energy use

Switching off appliances at the end of the day, turning off lights when leaving a room and opening windows rather than using air conditioning can significantly reduce your carbon footprint.

2. Go paperless

Cutting down trees is another contributor to climate change due to the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. Going paperless is one way to reduce carbon. Try using online calendars and notebooks instead of paper ones. - paperless billing

3. Switch to green providers

There are so many eco-friendly companies that use renewable energy or pledge to offset all the emissions they produce. Some examples could include the website hosting company Green Geeks, the search engine Ecosia or the electricity provider Bulb.

4. Save water

Reducing water usage may be a tricky one in a shared office facility like ours, but we can each do our bit to reduce what we can. For example, instead of washing each cup individually, wash them all at the end of the day in a washing up bowl to save water.

5. Use less, reuse & recycle

Cutting down on waste is a great way to help the environment - try only buying things for the office that are actually needed, use fewer non-recyclable products and reuse items that can be used again. Alternatively, you could try to repurpose items into new ones, such as transforming shredded paper into packaging. Any leftover waste, make sure to recycle it if possible in your building’s recycling bins or take it to your local recycling centre.

6. Green transport

Instead of each person driving themselves to work, there are many other ways to travel that will reduce the amount of carbon released. The best way to commute is either walking or cycling if the office is close enough. Alternatively, you can try public transport or car-sharing to keep emissions down. Another thing to consider is having meetings virtually rather than in-person to avoid unnecessary emissions from travel. After the last 18 months, I think we’re all well versed in how to use Zoom!

In Summary

Everyone benefits from a greener world, your business included. Building up trust and reliability is a difficult challenge in today's market, but the more eco-friendly you encourage your business to be - the more customers you encourage to believe and trust in your moral integrity. Save the planet, and your business today by cutting down on your carbon footprint wherever possible.