How Your Ability As A Manager Affects Your Business’s Sustainability

Julie Starr • May 21, 2020



Sustainability, to put it simply, is all about making the best use of the resources at your disposal, avoiding waste when possible, and re-using what you can. Aside from paper, carbon, water, and the like, you can think of your employees as a resource, too. They’re a resource that, when engaged, can help make the company a lot more sustainable. But how, exactly, do you empower them to achieve that? Here are just a few ways you can make better use of the employees in your team to make a more sustainable business.

Make it a core part of your messaging

First of all, you need to make sure that you’re not being shy about your company’s dedication to sustainability. Your entire team should be aware of the fact that you are committed to reducing waste and managing your impact on the environment. As such, you should learn how to communicate your company values often and loudly. This can include putting the words in writing, such as in job postings, in employee meetings, in strategy forecasts, and more. Not only can this put those values in the back of your employees’ minds, but it means you’re also more likely to attract like-minded people who will actively participate in efforts to make the business more sustainable.

Get everyone talking about it

As a business with a social media platform, you have the opportunity to spread not only your marketing messages but also your commitment to green causes through the internet and to a potentially huge number of followers. However, instead of taking care of this by yourself or leaving it only to the marketing team, you can involve people from all roles of the organization . By getting all of your employees to post about what they are doing to be more sustainable, such as through a series of blog posts, then you get everyone a lot more engaged about what they’re going to say and, in response, what they are going to do to be more sustainable.

Make efficient use of your manpower

Now, you’re going to need to have people in the workplace to get stuff done. But are you going to need as many people as you usually do? Remote working is on the rise, and allowing people to stay home can reduce the resources they use on the commute, not to mention the amount of equipment and energy you need to power the office. Employee scheduling software can make sure you never schedule too many people to come into the office and allows you to see when employees can work from home instead. Remote working is becoming a lot more popular in the business world and sustainability is just another reason why.

Take the time to inform them

The vast majority of people are aware of the need for sustainable business practices and the general reasons as to why we should reduce waste. However, if you want your employees to be both more engaged in your existing sustainability efforts and better equipped to contribute to brainstorming such tactics in the future, then you should take the time to have educational talks on specific kinds of waste and the benefits of particular sustainability efforts. By turning the vague concept into more concrete facts, you can make sure that your sustainability goals do not remain nebulous for too long.

Make your case for the company

You can’t simply drill a value into the heads of your employees. Either they are on side or they aren’t. Some people are going to be motivated enough by the shared desire to do good for the environment. However, some people aren’t going to be as motivated by that. If those people are generally invested in the performance of the company, however, then talking to them about how it may affect profitability can be a much better strategy. When outlining your sustainability goals, take the time to make the economic case for sustainability . Tell them how it will benefit the business and they will be more likely to support whatever measures you are taking. After all, the better the company does, the more potential in their own career there.

Give them the room to engage with sustainable practices

If you want to incentivize people to act in a certain way, then making it easier to do so and rewarding them when they do can be a great way to go about it. For instance, if you’re encouraging employees to work remotely, then you can also offer them a discount through the company accounts on things like LED lights that can make working from home more energy-saving. Otherwise, you can also use employee reward systems to encourage things like getting involved in sustainable causes during their downtime. To some people, they would like to be more engaged in sustainable practices, but they don’t have enough practical reasons.

 

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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