7 Practical Ways to Make Your Business More Eco-friendly

It’s easy to say that solving climate change falls largely into the hands of governments and mega-corporations because they have more influence. The truth, however, is that everyone can contribute in addressing this pressing global issue.

Indeed, even a small business can make a positive impact through practical changes. What’s even better is that eco-friendly practices is not only good for the environment, but it can also influence your good business reputation and result in an increase in profits. Why? More and more people are becoming aware of environmental issues and would readily support an environmentally friendly business.

So how can you make your business greener and more eco-friendly? Here are a few practical ways.

Use as Less Paper as Possible

Living in the digital age means it’s easier than ever to reduce paper consumption. Instead of printing out forms, create online documents. You can also develop your own programs, so that simple internal processes that used to need paperwork can be converted and transferred online. For existing physical documents, it’s a good idea to scan them and create an electronic system to organise these documents in the cloud. If you really must print something that doesn’t need to be shared with a client, use recycled paper. In addition, you may want to source your paper supplies from an eco-friendly company.

Practice Proper Waste Disposal

Businesses of all shapes and sizes generate waste. Some examples include paper, old furniture, broken electronics, printer cartridges, and even lunch waste. If you don’t properly segregate and dispose of these wastes, you’ll end up harming the environment. Segregation is easy enough to do with the use of designated waste bins. For businesses that generate a bigger volume of waste or those that just finished remodeling or similar projects, skip bins are a great solution. Local skip bin hire prices vary depending on the size of the skip and the number of days you’re going to use it. Still, your investment will be well worth the price if you consider various factors like time, resources, and proper disposal.

Telecommute

People waste hundreds of hours sitting in traffic driving or commuting to work and back. In turn, they waste precious resources like fuel and contribute to worsening pollution. It also wastes productive hours. A green way to solve this issue is to transition to telecommuting. This will help not just your business, but also your employees to save time and money. In addition, you’ll be able to minimise your company’s carbon footprint. Even just one or two days of having your people work remotely can help bring about significant change. While you’re at it, you should also establish a robust cloud system to help with remote productivity.

Dispose of E-Waste Properly

Businesses generate a lot of electronic waste or e-waste, like cell phones, TVs and monitors, printers, laptop and desktop computers. Each year, millions of metric tonnes of e-waste are produced around the world and end up damaging the environment, as well as affect human health and safety. One way that businesses can help curb this problem is to not trash e-waste as much as possible. Try looking for places that need donations, like schools or charitable institutions. If the gadget or device can’t be saved, ensure that they’re properly recycled.

Opt for Energy-Efficient Appliances

In relation to the proper disposal of e-waste, once you decide to get rid of old equipment, replace them with energy-efficient ones. Do an “energy check” and see which brands and models are more energy-efficient and buy those products. For businesses, some of the first energy-efficient items that you should invest in are air-conditioning units and refrigerators.

Go Solar

Using alternative energy sources for powering even just a small part of your business can make a big difference. One of the most accessible ways to do this is by installing solar panels on the roof or even walls that get a lot of sunlight. Another great thing about using alternative and renewable energy? You may get incentives from the government and different organisations.

Incentivise Eco-friendly Employees

What’s another great way to push for more eco-friendly practices at work? Reward those who already do. For example, you may give bonuses or gifts to employees who bike to work. You should also develop simple programs like assigning a carpooling station for those who live within the same general area.

Transforming your business to become more eco-friendly benefits not just the planet, but it also benefits your business, your employees, and your customers in various ways. Start small and slowly integrate more socially and environmentally responsible practices. You might even inspire other businesses to do the same.