Businesses can all make an active effort when it comes to being more eco-conscious. The more that can be done to improve your business and it’s environmental efforts, the better it is for the world around you.
As a business, you’re often contributing a lot more waste and emissions, which is why it’s important to be more mindful about how you dispose of business materials, etc.
With that being said, if you’re looking to make your business more eco-conscious this year and beyond, then here are the top seven ways to make your business more eco-conscious for the future.
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Table of Contents
Ensure proper waste collection
Waste collection is a necessity and when it comes to your business, you’re likely to have a lot of it. The question is, is it all being disposed of in the right way? For example, you might have a lot of recycling but some packaging in recent years may now be recycle through general recycling processes.
That’s why it’s good to be mindful of what waste you’re disposing of and whether you’ve got the right contacts in place to ensure a proper disposal. Electronics and batteries are two types of waste that often don’t get disposed of the proper way, which is why it’s worth looking at companies who take away your electronics either free of charge or at a cost.
There are some great benefits of using waste collection services in order to reduce your carbon footprint. Using a company like Oil Salvage is a great option when you’re looking to get rid of oil waste in particular.
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Go paperless
Ever thought about the opportunities that come with going paperless? If you’re a business that’s using up a lot of paper and physical resources, then you may well be contributing considerably to the environment.
Going paperless is definitely an easy thing to do, particularly when it comes to having so much technology available to you. You may want to consider what volume of paper you’re currently using and how this might be tackled when reducing it in the workplace.
When tackling paper usage, you might need to start off small and gradually build in this paper and resource reduction where you can. Some departments and staff members might be more incentivized than others. Some merely don’t like change, so it’s worth finding ways to encourage this change where possible.
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Do more to conserve energy
If there’s more you can do to conserve your energy as a business, you’ll be helping to offset any carbon emissions you’re creating as a result.
Be conscious and aware of the energy you’re using, will naturally help in conserving the energy youe use as a company.
However, you can also actively conserve energy through energy-efficient technologies and replacing old electronics that are using too much energy in general. You may want to look at optimizing your heating and energy usage in general so that you use less and make the most of what you do use.
Conserving energy makes a big difference to how much you contribute as a business, so consider the practices that can help.
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Engage with your employees on what they can do
Engaging with your employees is an important one when it comes to making your business more eco-efficient and conscious in general.
While some employees may be keen to do their bit, others might not be fussed and will want to stick the the status quo. Therefore, it’s important to look at ways in which you could engage with your employees so that they’re more incentivised to take action where they can.
Empowering your employees with various incentives is a good way to help improve their own efforts when it comes to being eco-friendly. Leadership should organise various workshops and courses to help educate their employees about sustainability as well as positive changes they can make both to their work surroundings and personal lives.
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Find more sustainable suppliers to work with
Sustainability is an important part of being eco-conscious because the more sustainable you can become as a business, the more eco-friendly you become as a result.
There are lots of sustainable-led suppliers and businesses available nowadays, which is why it’s worth exploring the current relationships you have within your supply chain. Are there some suppliers that are worth discussing possible sustainable upgrades or is it more appropriate to find a different supplier completely?
Sustainable suppliers are great for business but also your own reputation as a company. When you’re seen to be more sustainably-conscious, you end up having more of a positive reputation as a result.
Consider what changes you can make for your business when it comes to sustainability and be the proactive leaders within your industry to make the shift to sustainable suppliers.
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Fund local programs and create your own
Being able to fund local programs when it comes to the environment is a great way to invest your money into the community. This type of community outreach can be incredibly beneficial for both the business and for those it serves.
Explore the opportunities that come with collaborating with local environmental organisations and community groups. Look out for a variety of support initiatives whether that be beach and street clean-ups to tree-planting drives and environmental, educational programs.
It’s this type of initiative that can make a big impact to the wider environment and world as a whole. They not only raise awareness but engage a community in environmental conservation efforts, which is important to help make a bigger impact as a society.
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Offer working from home opportunities
Work from home opportunities are definitely something that you can provide to those who are interested in doing so.
When it comes to working from home, there are obvious benefits from both sides, whether it’s the employee or employer.
For the employee, it offers a bit more flexibility and that can be extremely helpful when there’s a busy life at home and not just in the workplace. For the employer, there’s a lot that can be saved with work from home positions. You don’t need to pay for additional workstations nor will you pay much in the way of electricity and gas bills.
It’s definitely worth offering these WFH positions if there’s interest within the company already or you’re looking to recruit new roles with this approach to working in mind.
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Digitize your business
If you’re wanting to take that one step further from the above, then it’s definitely worth looking at the advantages of digitizing the business. Taking it from a physical entity to one that exists solely online isn’t for every business and for some organisations, it’s not possible to do so.
However, if you’re able to digitize your business, whether it be part or entirely, it can definitely save your a lot of money and more importantly, reduce the environmental damage you do over time. Of course the digital space takes up carbon emissions too but nowhere near as much as running a physical business would, as well as having employees commuting in daily.
Look at ways in which you could digitize your business and think about how to implement those changes over the next few months or years ahead.
Making your business more eco-consious is definitely worthwhile not only for your company’s benefit but for the benefit of the environment and future generations who hope to enjoy the world we live in. Use these tips to make your business as environmentally-friendly as possible for the years ahead.