10 easy ways to make your business greener

If you want to make your business more attractive to your customers, you can focus on the environment. Customers care more about the environment than ever before. So if you can take steps to ensure your business is as environmentally friendly as possible, it will be in your favor far more than you think.

Offer remote work

Nowadays, more and more work is done online, which is why there is hardly any need to work in a physical office. For example, if you want to help your business become greener, you can offer remote work. The best thing about working remotely is that your team doesn’t have to travel to the office and you can reduce your overhead costs too. Your team can work much more flexibly and your carbon footprint is drastically reduced. You’ll also save money on lighting, heating and general office supplies, so it’s not hard to see the huge impact this could have on your business as a whole.

Public Commuter Benefits

If you have a team that has to work in the office, you can try to ensure that the commute is as environmentally friendly as possible. Public transport, which can include buses, trains and even minibuses, is your best way to encourage green commuting. If you run a small business, why not offer public transport benefits? You can even invest in HR software to centralize everything. In this way, you can empower your team to reduce their environmental impact while improving your company’s overall image.

Sustainable products

The items you buy to keep your workplace running well, be it pens, printer paper or even cleaning supplies, can all be harmful to the environment. If you want to help your company here, one of the things you can do is make sure that you use recycled products whenever possible. If you must use cleaning products, choose an eco-friendly cleaner that does not contain toxic chemicals that could be harmful to the environment. Natural ingredients work just as well. So be sure to check out what’s available today. Hiring an eco-friendly cleaning service is a good option if you want to make a quick change.

Second-hand finds

If you’re looking to outfit your office, you don’t have to spend a small fortune to get all your furniture brand new. Manufacturing these items requires a lot of energy and raw materials, but you can also go the eco-friendly route if you’re willing to take a look at recycling options. The great thing is that you can prevent fully functional furniture from ending up in landfill and you can also give your business a new look.

Reduce and recycle

One of the best ways to prevent waste from ending up in a landfill is to avoid it in the first place. As a company, you must try to reduce consumption as much as possible. Avoid single-use cups, utensils, and even coffee pods. Instead, opt for glass or ceramic whenever possible. Reuse items whenever possible. If you have structurally intact boxes in your warehouse, you can use them as storage for your other items. Employees should also be encouraged to use both sides of printer paper. If you succeed in doing this, you will soon find that things work out in your favor in the end. If you find you can’t reduce or reuse your waste, make sure you do the next best thing and recycle it. Many cities can provide you with recycling bins upon request. If you have a lot of litter, you should think about getting a litter garbage baler

compost

You can also try to prevent waste from ending up in a landfill by trying to compost it. More and more cities are now able to compost all the organic matter they produce. So make sure you are aware of this. The difference between composting a banana peel and sending it to landfill is that the composted variant will quickly decompose and can be used as soil for parks and gardens. The banana peel in the landfill, on the other hand, slowly decomposes and emits a lot of methane gas. This is a far more destructive gas overall. As a small business, you have a responsibility to the environment, so you need to make sure you recycle as much leftover food as possible. Only then can you be sure that you are doing everything you can to protect the environment.

Sustainable packaging

When you sell and ship products, you need to make sure you focus on the packaging. At the end of the day, the stuff adds up very quickly and surveys have shown that over 50% of customers would be more likely to buy from a retailer if they used degradable packaging. Recycled paper and even cardboard are proven options, but ultimately there are also advances in the development of compostable packaging that creates absolutely zero waste.

energy efficiency

Being energy efficient is one of the best ways to save money. There are many simple things you can do here, be it using energy efficient appliances or even switching to LED lights. You can also use a smart thermostat while taking advantage of natural light. Saving money and saving the planet are two things that are closely related. So keep that in mind if possible.

Green Hosting

use of websites energy So if you want your business to be as eco-friendly as possible, it’s a good idea to take that into account. When your site is hosted on a server, the server is always on, which means it consumes large amounts of energy. It is important to know that companies can now decide for themselves where their data is stored. You can become CO2-neutral and thus contribute to your energy consumption.

Partner with eco-friendly companies

If you can, you must do your utmost to collaborate with other green companies. From software companies to food companies and more. You need to make sure you are focused on your supply chain and doing everything you can to reduce your footprint. If you can do that, you’ll soon find that it’s easier than ever for you to save energy while doing your bit for the environment.

As you can see, there are a lot of things you can do to increase the efficiency of your business while making a big impact on the environment. If you want to make the biggest difference, you can have an energy audit carried out, among other things. Having an audit can ensure you focus on the areas of your business that emit the most emissions. So keep that in mind if possible.

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Lee Clarke

Business and feature writer

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