5 Great Ways You Can Make Your Business More Environmentally Friendly

Julie Starr • Feb 10, 2022



We’ve all got to do our part somewhere along the line, and as a member of authority within your business, you have the power to do a lot more than most people can. Most daily activities leave some kind of impact on the environment, and that impact can be altered depending on how you choose to do things. If you’re in the position to not only change how you do things, but those working for you as well, then you can make a huge difference with just a few changes here and there. Of course, you can’t do much to change how people treat the environment outside of the workplace, but one workday can impact the environment significantly. 

Update your cleaning process

When you work with a lot of heavy machinery or large metal parts, there’s a chance that you often find yourself having to clean them with chemicals or other wasteful processes. There’s a way around this wasteful cleaning process, and it’s with solutions like abrasive blasting. You might be asking yourself, what is abrasive blasting ? Well, you can read more about it online, but to give you the short and sweet – it’s the process of using different materials to blast a surface to either clean or leave a different finish.

With these alternative solutions, you can use sustainable and recyclable materials to complete the cleaning process, meaning that you won’t have to dispose of any kind of chemicals at the end of it. For some businesses, replacing a wasteful cleaning process with an eco-friendly one is a huge improvement.

Turn it off

In offices, there’s often a lot of energy being used at one time. Everyone needs their own desk and computer, and that’s naturally going to use a lot of energy to keep everything running. However, not every piece of equipment needs to be kept running all of the time. Computers have power management settings that allow you to keep them from using their full power when they’re not in use. You don’t necessarily have to turn them off completely every time you leave the desk, but using energy-saving modes that come pre-installed can make a huge difference over time.

Some offices even like to leave their equipment on overnight. Not just computers, but things like printers, copiers, and so on. This isn’t necessary, and when there’s not going to be anyone around to use them, you’d be saving a lot of energy to have them powered off during the night.

It may also help to know that not all pieces of the equipment you use are energy efficient. Older appliances typically are much less efficient than newer ones, so replacing them when you get the chance can actually save you money.

Suppliers and manufacturers

If you want your business to be truly eco-friendly, it’s not just your business that you should be looking at – but your partners . Partnering with and supporting environmentally friendly suppliers who want to make just as big an impact as you do is important. Continuous success with these practices is highly important, as you’ll be reducing waste and proving that success is just as possible without all of the environmentally harmful practices.

Going digital

A lot of waste can go down to office supplies and unnecessary paper usage. You don’t always need to use these materials, especially with modern technology. Doing as many things as possible digitally can help to greatly reduce paper and plastic usage in a workplace environment. Of course, some things will require physical representation – but whenever you can, you should try to make sure it’s done digitally. Not everything needs to be printed and put in its own plastic binder or file.

Many different forms of the document can be made, signed, interacted with, and amended on a computer, making it even more convenient for you than a physical piece of paper. You’ll find that by going online, you’re not just reducing waste, but saving time.

Convenient options

One thing that should be considered for every workplace is trying to enforce recycling. More people would be a lot more open to recycling if it was easier for them, and if you were to add more recycling bins to your workplace – you can reduce a lot of the waste that happens from your employees. Consider even putting up signs next to the bins to ensure that the rules are followed, and you’ll find that a lot fewer recyclable objects are being wasted.

Keep Your Business Comfortable And Yet Sustainable

By Julie Starr • 11 May, 2024
Keeping your business comfortable and yet sustainable is a great idea. By keeping your business sustainable, you are doing your part for the planet, ensuring that you are doing something to take care of it. A lot of businesses don’t bother with this, but that’s the problem. You need to be different, and work out how you’re going to keep your business comfortable and sustainable at the same time. That’s what we’re going to be working on today, so keep reading if you’re interested in learning more. How Are You Powering Your Locations? The first thing that we’re going to say is that you need to think about how you are powering your locations. Whether it’s a business office, a warehouse, or any other large space, you need to think about the way that you are powering it. If you are using traditional electricity then you’re going to be contributing to part of the problem. We only have so much fossil fuel available, and it’s killing the planet to use. It’s a better idea to use a renewable form of power such as solar or wind, depending on where you live and the weather conditions. Look into this as an option if you can. We’re not saying that you have to completely rely on one or the other, you could use a combination as well as traditional power. Any power that’s coming from somewhere else is a bonus! Keep The Spaces Comfortable For Employees Employees work in a variety of places for your business. Again, perhaps some work in an office, some work in a warehouse, and some work in other locations, but they all need to be kept comfortable. For example, if we take the warehouse and you think about it, it’s not that comfortable, right? You’re not going to have couches and plush chairs all over the place, but you can still make it as comfortable as possible. You could use an industrial drum fan or something similar to keep the space cool, ensuring that your employees are content working there. Ensure Recycling Is A Top Priority The final important point that we want to make is that you should ensure that recycling is a top priority . It has been pushed on people for a long time now, and it’s essential that you are doing this to the best of your ability. Reusing materials wherever possible gives your company a more sustainable approach to business, setting the example for others. Recycling is the very least that you can do, it’s not hard, but it makes a world of difference to the planet. We hope that you have found this article helpful, and now see some of the things that you should be doing to ensure that your business is comfortable and sustainable. We do understand that for some companies this is going to be a little more difficult than others, but there are always ways if you are dedicated enough. We wish you the very best of luck, and hope that you manage going forward.

Is Your Small Business an Appealing Place to Work?

By Julie Starr • 07 May, 2024
Bringing passionate, enthusiastic and talented people into your business is obviously a top priority when you’re growing a company. However, the only way to onboard the brightest talent is by ensuring that your brand is an appealing place to work. Driven employees have certain expectations when it comes to choosing their ideal workplace, so you need to show them what you have to offer. Whether you’re looking into your business ethos , or reassessing certain compensation plans, you can do so much to ensure you’re attracting the best possible employees. Consider some of the following methods and your small business will soon be the go-to place for skilled, driven and talented individuals to work. Pay and Benefits Should Be Competitive When you’re running a small business, the idea of paying regular salaries to your employees will always be on your mind. Keeping up with bills and ever rising costs will never be easy, but you have to offer a competitive salary in order to attract the right type of people to your business. You should also consider all elements of a compensation plan so that your employees always feel valued for their contributions at your workplace. It may be worth talking to your current staff members to see what would be most important to them so you can assess it in the near future. Create a Career Development Plan Working towards the next goal is certainly something that most career driven individuals are keen to do. Staying stagnant in the same role for a prolonged period of time can reduce motivation and cause issues with staff retention. Making sure that there are clear progression opportunities will help to bring in the most talented and focused employees who are willing to put in the work and climb the ladder within your business. Adopt an Eco-Conscious Approach More and more employees are looking for workplaces that put the environment at the forefront and actively choose sustainable processes. Taking care of the planet and going green with your business may help you to align with the right talent for your company. Although this might not be the priority of everyone, it’s certainly a very popular value that a number of people carry in the modern day. Working in an environment where sustainability is a priority is extremely appealing and these people will help you to work alongside like minded colleagues within your business. Your small business goes above and beyond you as an individual; it’s also about the people who work for you and the potential employees you could be onboarding very soon. You can be sure that you’re reaching out to the right type of people and attracting the best possible talent by offering competitive salaries and benefits and working in a sustainable way that always keeps the environment in mind too. Hopefully, these ideas will give you a huge advantage when it comes to bringing in new people who would be an asset to your business.
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