10 Ways To Bring Your Business Closer To Carbon Neutral
In the modern day, businesses are under an increasing amount of pressure to show a commitment to eco-friendliness. Being carbon neutral is the ultimate aim of many companies, and not only because it reduces their impact on the planet. In fact, consumer demand is the leading cause behind such trends, but whatever your inspiration to go green is, it is important that you make some commitments to it.
However, knowing where to start and what you should be doing in your business can be difficult. Surely you can’t become completely carbon neutral, especially if you only have a small company? Here are 10 things worth trying out…
#1: Purchase some plants
OK, you may not think that this will make much of a difference. However, adding plants into your office workspace helps to increase oxygen levels (and decrease carbon dioxide levels) and it also just looks pretty great, don’t you think? On top of all of this, it will bring some great health benefits for you and your team, so check out the best plants to have in the office, and get buying!
#2: Say goodbye to old tech
A lot of old tech in the office, from fans to computers - and even to kitchen appliances - could be having a detrimental impact upon the environment (and consequently your carbon footprint as a business). Purchasing some modern tech may seem like it comes at a high financial cost now, but the impact that it will have upon the eco-friendliness of your business will be unmatched.
#3: Keep documents online
The days of printing everything are long gone, and unless it is an absolute necessity, you and your team should be doing all that you can to ensure that you’re only viewing your documents online. Not only is this great for the environment, but it also means that you store everything in the Cloud, and as such, you don’t need to spend hours looking through a pile of paper to find that one document!
#4: Allow working from home
Although some bosses are against the idea of letting their employees work from home for two or three days a week, others have taken the plunge and seen how beneficial it really is. Not only does this cut down the pollution involved in commuting, but it also strengthens the relationships between you and your staff, due to the added trust and responsibility that you give them. Win-win!
#5: Look for water solutions
Water is a hot topic at the moment, and it’s for a good reason. Being water aware is crucial for any business, and excessive amounts of wasted water is not good news for your environmental impact. Investing in a rainwater tank from somewhere like National Poly Industries could be the right solution depending upon the climate where you’re based, so check out some water solutions.
#6: Opt for alternative energy sources
There are many options out there now for those offices that wish to go for different energy sources, such as solar panels. As time goes on, there are even more options for businesses, and it’s important to always consider new ways of sourcing your energy. If you live in a climate that would allow you to benefit from solar panels, then it’s a good idea to look into the costs and gains here!
#7: Recycle your waste
One of the main issues for many businesses is the excess of waste, and it can be what is keeping you from carbon neutrality. Think about recycling incentives for your team, and don’t bring anything into the office that can’t be recycled, if you can help it. This is one of the best ways to offset your carbon footprint, so ensure that you’re always managing your waste disposal properly.
#8: Redesign your products
As much as you’re trying to keep your office green, it’s also important to look at the effect that you’re having on the environment with the products that you’re selling. Are there any minor tweaks that you can make to these items, in order to ensure that they aren’t as detrimental to the environment? Showing your customers a real commitment to eco-friendliness will bode well.
#9: Think about packaging
Again, if you’re providing products to your customers (or even sending out mail to them) then considering the packaging that you’re using is vital. You should never send out items in packaging that cannot be recycled, so look for biodegradable alternatives, or opt for paper if you need to. Single use plastic should be avoided at all costs if you want to improve your environmental impact!
#10: Turn off tech at night
A lot of businesses are still falling into the trap of leaving their lights - and all of their tech - left on overnight. Sure, you may need to keep some lights on for safety reasons, but there are alternatives out there to doing this. Speak to a security company, and see what your options are for keeping your office safe, whilst also conserving some of the energy spent on keeping all of the lights on at night.
Tip: it’s also important to turn off computers and other devices during the night to save energy, and as such, it may be a good idea to ask your evening cleaner to do this before they lock up the office.
So…
Bringing your business closer to carbon neutral can seem overwhelming if you’re not sure where to begin. However, when you take the plunge and start changing up the way that your company handles these matters, you’ll be keeping your environmentally conscious customers happy, and you’ll also feel really wholesome. In the modern day, you simply can’t afford to be left behind when it comes to taking care of your environmental impact.
Good luck heading towards carbon neutrality, and making sure that you get all of your team members on board with this, too. You’ll all be obsessed with recycling, and you can’t improve the carbon footprint of your business alone now, can you?
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