Being an eco-friendly business is essential in the modern market, as there is a growing awareness and concern for environmental issues across the world. From global warming, to the effects of plastics in our environment, we should all do our bit to help. For businesses, that means putting strategies in place to monitor, measure and reduce the effects they have on the environment. If you are looking for ways to help your business become more eco-friendly, this guide gives you some tips.
Using waste machinery, such as shredders, compactors and balers make it easy to group recyclable materials together. It also means that you can fit more waste into fewer loads, lessening the amount of trips to disposal facilities. Grouping materials together for recycling not only makes it easier to do, but it helps save space at your business premises. For more information on recycling machinery, see recyclingbalers.com.
As well as recycling waste by-products, an eco-friendly business is one that chooses suppliers who also cares about the environment. Take note of what sort of packaging deliveries arrive in, and look for companies that use eco-friendly methods, such as recyclable card instead of plastic wrap. If your preferred company does not use recyclable packaging, get in touch with them to ask why not. Often, all it takes is some feedback from customers for a company to make changes that may have been overlooked.
Choosing local suppliers is also a good way to become more eco-friendly. Not only are you supporting local trades, but goods take fewer miles to reach you than if you source supplies from further afield. This lowers the effect your business has on the environment.
Another way to be an eco-friendly business is to reduce the amount of waste you produce overall.
- This could mean that you ‘go paperless’ as much as possible, such as using digital methods of recordkeeping and correspondence with customers.
- Ask staff to bring reusable cups to work, rather than using plastic ones for an office water cooler.
- If you hold meetings that require food, such as sandwiches, choose companies that provide food using bio-degradable packaging.
Saving energy is also another way that your business can help the environment. Consider using renewable energy, such as solar, where possible. Installing solar panels does require an initial investment, but you could save your business money in the long run and have less of an effect on the environment.
Encourage staff to make environmentally friendly choices for their daily commute to work. You could create a ‘cycle to work’ club that not only reduces emissions but promotes a healthy lifestyle. Another way is to offer remote working options, allowing staff to work from home when possible.
Being a business that cares about the environment will give you a good feeling, yet it can also win your customers too. More people are choosing to work with companies who have a strong eco ethos, so making the effort to be greener not only helps the environment, but can help your business grow.