How to Make Each Department in Your Business Greener

Julie Starr • August 26, 2021



The world is changing. Consumers are demanding more sustainable products and services, and businesses are feeling the pressure to change. But, as a business owner, you may not be sure where to start to make your company greener. The good news is that there are plenty of ways for you to get started! In this blog post, we will discuss ten ways your business can transact greener in each department – from marketing to HR, so read on!

Marketing

As marketing is often the face of a company, changing your approach to how you market can make a big difference. Instead of using traditional paper flyers or postcards, why not try an electronic flyer and email? If you insist on sending out letters via snail mail, consider buying recycled paper products instead – there are plenty available these days. 

Another way marketers can transact greener is by working on their digital presence . Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are great ways for businesses to market themselves. And, with the major leaps being made in the world of digital marketing, you can now market your company and reach a much larger audience than would never have been possible with traditional marketing methods.

HR

Many companies already have a green policy in place – for example, requiring employees to print double-sided or only printing when necessary, etc., but did you know that if your business is big enough, then it could be possible to offset your carbon footprint? The easiest way of doing this is by using an online service called ‘ My Climate. ‘ All you need to do is register with them and purchase one of their packages which will allow you to play a part in reforesting land, so even though as they say, “you can’t change the past,” at least you’re helping keep our future greener!

Another great way HRs can transact greener within their department is through recycling old office equipment like PCs and printers. According to Environmental Protection, the UK alone produces around 15 million tonnes of electronic waste a year, so it’s best to dispose of old equipment properly. The good news is that manufacturers like Epson and Apple have a ‘take back scheme’ which allows you to recycle both new and old products!

If your business does decide on a recycling scheme for office supplies, then make sure you handle it correctly by ensuring anything containing hazardous material (like batteries) are sent off-site where they can be disposed of with specialist companies safely, as well as making sure that everything else gets shredded before being recycled – this stops any confidential data from falling into the wrong hands!

Logistics

When it comes to making a company more green, logistics is where most people get discouraged as they think there’s not much they can do. However, this isn’t the case! Firstly make sure your business has joined initiatives like The Carbon Trust or Climate Care, which allow you to offset carbon emissions when transporting goods around. 

This means that whether you’re sending out one package or several, any negative impact on the environment will be balanced, so even though you’re still using natural resources to send items in bulk, by joining these schemes, you are at least helping keep our planet cleaner overall! Another part of logistics that often gets overlooked is the packaging. Still, if carefully planned, companies can reduce their waste significantly without jeopardizing service quality – for example, having boxes with pre-cut holes can be an excellent way to ensure your items are secure and prevent too much excess packaging!

Sustainable energy sources

When it comes to making your company more green, sustainable energy sources are an excellent place to begin because they’re easy and cheap (and in some cases even free) too! For example, let’s say you own a warehouse or office building that has large windows – if the sun is shining, then why not use solar panels from https://jrcousa.com/commercial-solar-panels/ instead of regular electricity? Even though these may initially seem expensive, just think about how much money will be saved on bills as well as helping save our planet so both us and future generations can live peacefully. Plus with government grants available for small businesses who install renewable technologies, there really isn’t any reason why every business shouldn’t invest in this.

Remember, some small changes can make big differences, so don’t feel like this is something that has to cost lots of money or take up much time because sustainable energy sources are here and they’re ready now. All we have to do is reach out and grab them with both hands! 

Sales

One of the first things that people think about when it comes to making their business greener is recycling paper and plastic cups at events. While this will help, there are actually many other ways you can transact greener in your sales department by thinking outside the box! For example, if all or a few of your staff have company cars, then why not switch them from petrol/diesel engines to an electric model? This means they’ll emit less carbon dioxide, plus as long as these models meet specific safety criteria (like having sufficient range for each journey), they’re also exempt from road tax, so employees could save money! You may need some convincing, but trust me – electric vehicles really are up there with cars now. Since most cities are introducing clean air zones (where older, more polluting vehicles are banned from entering), it could be good to make the switch before legislation is enforced!

Another way your company can transact greener in sales is by using recyclable pens. Instead of throwing away old biros that have run out or broken, why not just refill them with new ink? Although this may seem like an impractical task, there are actually websites online which specialize in selling refills, and if they’re purchased once every few months rather than buying brand new pens, you’ll save yourself money as well as helping our planet too!

Production

When it comes to making a business more green, production can seem like the most daunting task as there are so many things you need to consider. However, don’t worry because while this may be true for big companies with large factories and lots of employees, if your company is smaller, then you’ve got even more of an incentive since less work means fewer resources will be needed! 

So what can you do? Well, firstly remember where possible that recycling waste materials from one department into another is cheaper than buying new products (and often better quality) – after all, did you know that recycled paper costs on average 20% less than newly harvested wood pulp which saves money but also uses far less energy? Plus, let’s not forget about carbon emissions – recycling paper uses 65% less energy than making it from new wood pulp, so it is a win-win situation.

Packaging

Another way your company can transact greener in production is by making sure all your packaging has as little excess material included. Although it may seem attractive to have a box that’s big enough for the product inside plus some free space, most of this will end up being thrown away, and if you supply just one item, then why spend money on something which won’t be used? Plus, don’t forget – recycling cardboard takes less energy than creating new boxes, so using leftover materials would save even more! 

By utilizing the above tips, you’ll have a greener business that focuses on sustainability as much as profit in no time!

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.
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.