How To Embrace A Sustainable Office Space

Julie Starr • Jun 14, 2022



If you’re considering transitioning from your current workspace into a more sustainable one, you probably already know all the benefits of sustainable office space. The process is not as straightforward as many business owners may think, as going about it the wrong way can have adverse effects on your business. That’s why proper planning and preparation are essential. So, are you thinking about creating a more sustainable working space ? These tips will help you make the transition and avoid costly mistakes.

  • Start with workplace safety

Many businesses focus only on the material changes they need to make to enhance sustainability, forgetting about the workers who will push the sustainability agenda. Studies have shown that occupational safety goes hand-in-hand with sustainability. That means you need to ensure that your new office space protects your employees’ safety, making them better enhanced to drive your transition to sustainability. Start by ensuring that your office space meets all safety standards and that your workers operate in a risk-free or safe working environment. For instance, when renovating your new office space, ensure your workers or contractors are protected from slips and falls. Here, you can work with fall protection experts like Shine On Anchors to ensure that employees or contractors working at high heights are protected. 

  • Make small transitions

The last thing you want to do is make huge changes from the get-go. Doing so could make the entire process unnecessarily expensive and could lead to expensive mistakes. There is also the risk of office politics and corporate bottlenecks slowing down the transition process and bringing your efforts to a halt. Therefore, it is better to take small steps. You can begin by switching to paperless solutions for documentation or discouraging the use of styrofoam cups in the break room.

  • Notify your suppliers ahead of time

Before you start rolling out your office sustainability changes, it’s important to notify all your office suppliers ahead of time if you’re going to make changes to your supply orders. From your office furniture, washroom supplies, cleaning products, and office kitchen supplies (where applicable), you would want every aspect of your office space to reflect your new eco-friendly policies. By notifying your suppliers, you ensure that they supply products that meet your new goals. It also gives you ample time to find new suppliers if your current suppliers cannot meet these changes.

  • Analyze your environmental impact

Before making the transition, you also need to know how much your business activities or office setup impacts the environment. Weigh out your key performance indicators (KPIs) on how your various office activities affect things like emissions, pollution, and natural resource use. Doing this should give you a good idea of how much change you need to do or if you need to make any changes at all. It will also help you identify which areas of your workplace need more sustainability changes. 

As a business, taking the step to implementing more sustainable measures is a great one to make. There are several great benefits to being more sustainable. These tips would help you enjoy them.

 

Simple Steps To Make Your Office Space More Eco-Friendly

By Julie Starr • 07 Oct, 2024
Becoming more eco-friendly and running a greener business is a responsibility that business owners really need to think more about. The good news is that if you spend a lot of time in your office, there are plenty of ways to make it more eco-friendly without having to overhaul everything and start again (which isn’t just disruptive, but expensive too). So, if you’re ready to get started, here are some simple steps to make your office space more eco-friendly; read on to find out more. Use Energy-Efficient Lighting This idea is a simple one that you can do no matter what else might be on your list of tasks - it’s quick, easy, and really makes a difference; change your light bulbs to something more energy efficient. If you’re still using traditional fluorescent bulbs, it’s time to upgrade to LED which doesn’t just last longer, but also uses a lot less energy. They’re easy to install and they’ll help you cut down on your office’s energy usage almost instantly. If possible, you should make the most of natural light too, so think about rearranging your workspace to let in more sunlight, which saves energy and can boost your mood - it’s a win-win that you can do right away. Prioritize Air Quality The air you breathe matters, and keeping it clean can do wonders for your health and the planet. One way to improve air quality is by adding plants to your workspace because plants are natural air purifiers, and as a bonus, they’ll make your office feel more inviting. Another great idea is to make sure your office’s HVAC system is working efficiently, and having air duct cleaning done by professionals is an easy step you can take to improve air quality and ensure your heating and cooling systems aren’t wasting energy. Clean air ducts mean cleaner air, less strain on your system, and even lower energy bills, so it’s a simple but really effective thing to do. Switch To Reusable Products If your office is still stocking up on single-use plastic items, it’s time for a change - swap your disposable cups, utensils, and plates for reusable ones and you’ll be surprised at how much waste to eliminate. And what about encouraging people to bring their own mugs and water bottles to work? Give them tea, coffee, and water to refill everything with, and you’ll be doing your bit to help the planet and have less waste to deal with as well. And don’t stop with these things either - there are loads of reusable products that could be useful in your office. You could have refillable pens and ink cartridges for your printer, for example. Go Paperless Speaking of your printer, is that an office machine you actually need? If you were to go digital and aim for a paperless office , you might be able to do away with the printer, which means less money spent on ink and paper, and less energy used altogether. You should be able to set up a system where documents can be shared online and stored electronically, and there are plenty of tools around to help you do exactly that (and much more). If you don’t need to print something and you don’t need a physical copy of a document, don’t make one - just use the digital version instead and you’ll be a lot more eco-friendly.

3 Most Unsustainable Industries & What They're Doing To Be More Eco-Conscious

By Julie Starr • 04 Oct, 2024
Sustainability often gets pushed on the common person. Joe Public is told to be more sustainable with their daily habits as the government pushes for more eco-friendly measures. This is all well and good - but does it really matter when 71% of greenhouse gas emissions come from just 100 companies around the world? Small business owners are desperate to prove their sustainability, but what are bigger companies in some of the most polluting industries doing to help? We’ve taken three of the least sustainable sectors on the planet and explored the unique ways they’re trying to cut down on emissions and be more eco-friendly. Mining Any industry revolving around drilling underground will not be very environmentally friendly! Mining causes a lot of pollution, but its unsustainability often comes from the way it damages local environments and ecosystems. So, what is this industry doing to change things? It’s largely focusing on more responsible mining practices to reduce waste and mitigate the impact on local environments. This is done through mining dust suppression systems to prevent airborne pollution, reforesting mining sites when they’re no longer in use, and recycling as many materials as possible. Is it perfect? No, but it’s a step in the right direction. Fossil Fuels Shock horror; the fossil fuels industry is the most damaging to our environment. Finding ways to change the scope of this sector is the key to ensuring a better future for all. Some companies in this industry are trying to do this through carbon capture and storage. This is a technique where CO2 emissions are captured before they’re released into the atmosphere and stored underground. Realistically, the main thing fossil fuel companies should be doing is pushing for more renewable energy sources. Many are doing this - though reports suggest they’re not investing as much as they should. If fossil fuel companies dumped more money into developing biofuels and other renewable sources, pollution from this industry would drop dramatically. Fashion The most unbelievable stat to take from this post is that the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of our global carbon footprint . That’s remarkable (and worrying), considering how most of us don’t view it as a “dangerous” industry. Fast fashion is the main problem; poorly-made goods are pumped out at a rapid rate, and consumers constantly buy new things. Fashion companies are trying their best to resolve this. Most big brands will now have sustainable lines using recyclable materials. Consumers also hold the key to solving this problem: stop buying new clothes all the time and wear yours for longer. Or buy pre-owned clothes to slow down the fashion production line. Companies can still do more as well: they are trying to adopt more eco-friendly production processes that use less water and energy. The moral of this post is that everyone can do their bit to fight for a more sustainable future. Keep this in mind for your small business . It doesn’t matter what industry you’re in; there will always be ways to promote eco-friendly practices.
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