Eco-friendliness should never be an afterthought when it comes to your business. Not only does eco-friendliness reduce your business’ carbon footprint, but it will also save you money. Many business finance managers spend their days finding ways to cut costs and save money, and saving the planet is one easy way to do this. It also sets a good precedent among other businesses, as you will inevitably set a standard of how to be sustainable in the 21st century by doing so.
1. Install lighting timers
The first thought that might occur to you is that lighting timers might not be suitable in the busiest rooms. While there will be a constant movement to set them off, you will still occasionally have downtime wherein colleagues may have to hop up and down to switch the lights back on. However, in rooms that are only partially used throughout the day, such as bathrooms and storage rooms, these could save you a lot of money on your electricity bills.
2. Recycle efficiently
Producing a lot of business waste is no excuse to manage it poorly. If you manufacture products, you may produce a considerable amount of recyclable waste. Nowadays, there are plenty of recycling balers to ensure that your recyclable materials can be organized and sent away with relatively little hassle.
3. Reward cyclists and public transport users
Driving a car to work is not only damaging to the planet, but it also takes up space in your business car park. An easy way to resolve this problem is to reward employees who opt for cycling or taking public transport to work.
4. Use green cleaning products
Once everyone has packed up and left, the cleaners will usually come in to get your business looking ready for the morning. Providing those who clean the premises with eco-friendly products that won’t damage the environment is a practical way of making your business more environmentally friendly.
5. Eco web hosting
It’s not just turning off the lights and switching your monitors off on your lunch break that can save energy. Many web browsers and other internet companies have committed to running their data centers off renewable energy. Doing some research on what search engines and other hosts you could use could reduce your carbon footprint even further.
6. Get out of the habit of disposable convenience
You may need to fundamentally change the culture in your office to improve your green credentials. Encouraging employees not to rely on disposable coffee cups, plastic straws and plastic water bottles help reduce your company’s contribution to landfill sites. Rewarding your employees for bringing in their own cups and bottles could give them an incentive to continue.
Wrap Up
Even if your company is pretty good when it comes to renewable energy and cutting down your plastic usage, there are still little tweaks you can make. The best way to incentivize those who aren’t particularly into the green lifestyle is to reward them for their efforts. Maybe free cake or a discount at the local coffee bar will persuade them that their sacrifices have not been in vain.
