As Green As It Gets: Could Your Business Be Doing More?

Julie Starr • November 19, 2021



The future of the planet is dominating the headlines. If you run a business, you may have been inspired to think about whether you could do more. If there is room for improvement, and you’re eager to do your bit, here are some ideas to consider. 

Recycling, reusing and repurposing

Businesses and organizations all over the world produce a vast amount of waste. In some cases, there is no alternative but to dispose of products and materials, but often, it is possible to recycle, reuse or repurpose the waste we throw away. Running recycling initiatives in the workplace is an excellent way to engage employees and customers in eco-friendly ways of working and it can make a positive difference to the environment. Recycle what you can and consider reusing or repurposing anything that cannot be recycled. From office furniture to leftover food, it may be possible to donate to charities and nonprofits or sell items so that somebody else can benefit from them.

If you don’t already have a recycling program in place, provide containers for your employees to use, hang posters to let people know what kinds of materials they can recycle and send out an email to alert teams to your new initiative. 

Taking advantage of technology

There are several ways in which technology can help us to decrease emissions, eliminate paper use, increase efficiency and reduce waste. Investing in technology offers a raft of benefits for forward-thinking companies. In addition to boosting productivity and cutting costs, technology can also help you run a greener business. With digital technology and smart devices and systems, you can reduce the amount of paper you use, the mail you send and the physical records you keep, speed up communications, and reduce energy consumption. 

If the technology you use is dated, or you’re still using traditional techniques and methods, consider updating and upgrading. From smart systems that regulate the temperature of offices and motion sensors to digital marketing, streamlined online communications and eco-friendly machinery for manufacturing, it’s wise to talk to experts and gather ideas and recommendations based on the requirements of your business and your key objectives. Visit website links and pages, read reviews and compare services, packages and prices to find reputable companies that will help you to identify better ways of working and drive your business forward. Often, embracing innovation and moving with the times can help you to capitalize on new trends, lower expenses and increase productivity, while also adopting more environmentally-friendly systems and processes. 

Greener commuting

Most businesses have teams of employees, some of which commute to work or make journeys for meetings and conferences. If your employees drive to work or attend events in different cities or countries, it’s beneficial to try and promote and incentivize greener travel . Carry out an audit and analyze data to see how many journeys you are making and look for ways to cut out unnecessary trips and reduce your carbon footprint. Use technology to replace in-person meetings in different states or countries with video calls and conferences and encourage your employees to use public transport or carpool. You can run carpooling schemes to make it easier for your team to get to work, or champion cycling, walking or jogging by offering access to bikes, providing on-site showers and changing facilities and giving people more flexibility in terms of their working hours. 

Over the course of the last two years, a large number of companies have switched to home working or hybrid working. For many, this will be a temporary measure, but if it has worked well for your business and your customers and employees, it’s beneficial to think about remote working in the future. If your employees are at home, this eliminates the need for commuting, which saves time and money for workers and reduces emissions. Talk to your team and gauge reactions and opinions. You may find that some people thrive at home, while others would prefer to be at the office or to combine both. 

Eco-friendly materials

Most businesses make, sell or buy materials to offer products or services to customers. If your company is not already actively looking for sustainable materials , now is the time to start. Research suitable alternatives to the products and components you use now, seek advice and keep an eye on what other firms in your industry are doing. If you can switch to sustainable, eco-friendly materials or supplies, this will help you to go green and enhance your brand image. 

Implementing initiatives in the workplace

Protecting the planet is a team effort. Every little helps, but it’s virtually impossible to achieve goals and hit targets without large numbers of people getting involved and jumping on the wagon. As an employer, make it your mission to get your employees and customers involved in initiatives that will have a positive impact on the environment. Simple measures like providing recycling bins and a water cooler and reusable or recyclable cups instead of selling bottled water and encouraging clients to download or save tickets, passes or forms on their phones instead of printing reams of paper will help. Talk to your team, ask for suggestions, get your clients involved on social media and start putting ideas into action. 

Working with eco-friendly brands and businesses

Businesses often work together to offer services and products for customers. If you work with partners or suppliers, or you’re looking to outsource areas of the business, try to find companies that share your values and support eco-friendly schemes. If you create and sell products, for example, work with suppliers and manufacturers that use sustainable materials and packaging and logistics firms that have green vehicles and environmentally-friendly route planning programs. By working together, organizations can achieve more and improve their brand image and reputation. Studies suggest that almost 90% of consumers want to buy from brands that help them to be more ethical and eco-friendly . 

Green fleets and logistics

We live in a world where the skies, tracks and roads are packed with vehicles transporting products from one corner of the globe to another. Global travel and efficient logistics enable us to benefit from swift delivery and international trade, but there is a cost. Vehicles produce emissions, which are harmful to the environment. If you operate a fleet of vehicles, or you transport materials or deliver products via rail, road or air travel, making simple changes can impact your carbon footprint. Invest in eco-friendly vehicles , look for ways to save time and reduce mileage when making deliveries and search for options that involve offsetting emissions. It’s also an excellent idea to offer customers the opportunity to choose eco delivery options at the checkout. We have become accustomed to next-day delivery, but many consumers don’t need the products they order straight away and they may prefer to wait if it means using a more eco-friendly delivery service.

Reducing energy consumption

Reducing energy consumption has two main benefits for businesses. The first is saving money and the second is making a positive difference to the environment. Use smart meters and analyze bills to monitor usage and get an accurate idea of how much energy you use in an average week or month. Identify areas where you can make changes and encourage your employees to get on board. Use motion sensors to shut down lighting systems and thermostats to regulate the temperature. Swap traditional bulbs for energy-efficient light bulbs and turn devices and appliances off at the power socket. Invest in modern heating systems, which are more efficient and use less energy. Choose energy suppliers that provide access to renewable energy sources and consider options such as installing solar panels. If your business is based in an area that receives a lot of sunshine, you could save a substantial amount of money by generating solar energy. If this route interests you, research providers and see if you are eligible for a grant or financial assistance. 

Corporate social responsibility

More and more customers want to buy from businesses that align with their values. If you run a business, and you want to make a difference, it’s beneficial to explore initiatives and organizations you can support. Discuss options with your team, ask for ideas from customers and look for schemes or charities that complement your core values . There are several ways you can do your bit from donating a portion of your profits to wildlife and conservation charities to planting a tree for every purchase. 

Everybody is talking about the future of the planet. We have reached a critical juncture, and businesses can play an integral role in protecting the environment and preserving natural environments. If you could do more, now is the time to make changes and encourage your employees and customers to get involved. Even small modifications can make a big difference. From recycling and repurposing, reducing energy consumption and using sustainable materials to investing in smart, energy-efficient technology and figuring out greener ways to travel and commute, there are multiple ways to make a positive contribution.

Smart Sensors, Smarter Supply Chains: Enhancing Traceability in Food & Beverage

By Julie Starr • June 20, 2025
In today’s competitive food and beverage (F&B) landscape, traceability is no longer a compliance checkbox—it’s a differentiator. The ability to track every step of a product’s journey, from origin to shelf, is vital for regulatory accuracy and to ensure brand integrity, supply chain agility, and consumer trust. Add smart sensors to the mix: the quiet, tireless observers revolutionizing supply chain intelligence. Traceability Has a Data Problem Despite digitization across many F&B operations, most traceability systems still rely on fragmented or manual data inputs. Batch numbers, barcodes, and handwritten logs often stand between a supplier and clarity when things go wrong. This approach struggles with latency and scale. When contamination or delays occur, root cause analysis is slow, costly, and damaging. Smart sensors shift this paradigm by embedding real-time, contextual intelligence into every stage of the supply chain . Whether monitoring humidity in transit or recording fill-level precision in bottling plants, they remove the guesswork by turning physical conditions into structured, time-stamped data. From Passive Monitoring to Active Optimization Sensors used to be reactive tools, alerting operators to anomalies. But smart sensors now play a proactive role in process control. They measure, and they interpret. For example, temperature sensors embedded in cold chain logistics can dynamically adjust cooling systems or flag threshold breaches before spoilage occurs. These advancements reduce waste and loss at a systemic level. In a production facility, smart sensors integrated with PLCs can enforce recipe compliance, verify clean-in-place processes, and detect micro-stoppages in real-time. This enables operations to pivot faster and isolate inefficiencies before they cascade downstream. Trust is Built on Transparency Consumers are paying more attention to what they eat and drink. They’re looking beyond labels, expecting visibility into how ingredients are sourced, processed, and handled. Smart sensors make this level of transparency achievable —without burdening manufacturers with excessive manual oversight. By capturing metadata throughout production and distribution, these sensors create a digital footprint that’s tamper-resistant and instantly accessible. When this data is integrated with a central platform, brands can respond confidently to audits, recalls, and quality assurance challenges with a level of precision that would be impossible through legacy systems. Intelligence Without Infrastructure Overhaul One common misconception is that adding smart sensors requires a top-down reinvention of supply chain infrastructure. In reality, companies can deploy edge sensors in a modular, scalable way. Many modern solutions offer plug-and-play functionality, allowing for fast integration with existing machinery and MES systems. This is where suppliers like alps-machine.com are reshaping expectations. Rather than pushing proprietary ecosystems, they design sensor-ready equipment with interoperability in mind. This future-proofs investment and keeps businesses nimble in the face of regulatory or market shifts. Designing for Data Longevity Sensors are only as powerful as the context they capture. A smart implementation ensures the data collected can be standardized, stored securely, and accessed meaningfully across departments. This means moving beyond local dashboards toward centralized, queryable datasets that inform everything from supplier contracts to marketing claims. As AI and predictive analytics become more accessible, these data-rich environments will unlock new capabilities—such as predicting demand spikes based on real-time freshness indicators or adjusting production schedules dynamically based on in-transit sensor feedback. Final Thoughts: Smarter Isn’t Optional Traceability isn’t solved by more paperwork—it’s solved by embedded intelligence. Smart sensors don’t just help businesses know what happened; they help prevent the wrong things from happening at all. For companies in the food and beverage sector, adopting smart sensors is less about chasing innovation and more about enabling resilience, speed, and confidence in every decision.

Eco-Friendly Garden Prep: Summer Tips for a Greener Business Space

By Julie Starr • June 5, 2025
If you're lucky enough to have a garden as part of your business, taking some time to set it up for summer is a great investment of your energy. Not only will it be ready for your customers to spend time in, but you can also incorporate some eco-friendly elements into it. Many people just think about the property and what eco-friendly updates they can make , but there are plenty that you can implement in your garden. This gives you the best of both worlds. You own a sacred and beautiful place for your customers to spend their summer, and at the same time, you can do your part for a better planet. If this is the route you want to take, then you also need to consider how to do this with the different seasons. To help you on your journey, here are some top tips for preparing your garden for summer. Plant trees and flowers Planting trees and flowers in your garden is a must. It will make a beautiful scene of nature for everyone to enjoy. Trees will provide people and animals with shade, as well as provide a habitat for wildlife. More trees are needed in the world because they purify the air that we breathe. Flowers, especially if you plant with pollinators in mind, can be an excellent way to attract bees and butterflies, which contribute largely to the earth. Use natural pest control When preparing your garden for summer, you can do this more sustainably and kindly by using natural pest control. Simply by planting trees and flowers, you are likely to attract lots of different wildlife, some of which may destroy your efforts. While all wildlife should be considered, you may need to take measures. Some better and more eco-friendly ways you can do this, as opposed to spraying toxic chemicals onto your plants and into the air, you can implement companion planting, using protective nets over your crops, choosing resilient plants, using natural repellents, and encouraging natural predators so nature can do its thing. Maintain your garden Maintaining your garden in itself can make it more eco-friendly. Composting your garden waste regularly, and kitchen waste can help you to reduce overall waste and create nutrient-rich soil. This is a great cycle of sustainability. You can also keep on top of things that need cleaning and replacing, so you can recycle the materials for other garden structures and projects, and repurpose things around your garden before they become waste. If you have features in your garden like a swimming pool, then a regular pool maintenance service is going to be vital in keeping your water consumption to a minimum, as when it is cleaned and maintained, it will need to be drained and refilled less as well as using less energy. You could also consider how you can use natural purification methods to reduce chemical usage and support biodiversity right in your backyard. Your garden is just an eco-friendly project waiting to be built. Use these top tips to help you get started.