Optimize Your Company’s Sustainability With These Tips

Julie Starr • Mar 04, 2022



It’s not uncommon to hear of more businesses becoming more sustainable. You may have seen much of your competition doing so.

That could lead you to wonder whether it’s something that your company should do. That’s typically a ‘yes,’ and there are more than a few reasons why.

Alternatively, you could already know that you need to do this. You mightn’t know how to make your business more sustainable, however.

It could take more effort than you’d think. By focusing on particular areas, you shouldn’t have a problem making your business more sustainable.

That’ll be seen in quite a few ways, such as reduced waste, a lowered environmental impact, and more.

Why Make Your Business More Sustainable?

You could wonder why you should make your business more sustainable. You might see it as an extra cost and extra effort. That isn’t the case.

There are more than a few benefits to making your company more sustainable . Some of the more notable of these include:

  • Better Brand Image: How customers view your company is essential to your success. You’ll need to build a positive reputation. Improved sustainability is a step you could make toward that.
  • Attract Better Employees: More and more workers are environmentally-conscious. They won’t work for companies that aren’t. If you want to attract the best talent in your industry, then you’ll need to attract them. Being a sustainable business will help you do that.
  • More Efficient With Resources: As a business owner, you’ll need to ensure that your company is as efficient as possible. That means not wasting your resources. By being more sustainable, you’ll become more efficient with these. You’ll use less electricity and fewer resources. That could also reduce your costs.

The benefits of being a sustainable business can be more than enough of a reason to concentrate on it. If you are, you’ll need to know how to make your business more sustainable.

There can be more to the process than you’d expect. That doesn’t have to mean that it’ll be complicated, however.

It could be more straightforward than you’d think.

How To Make Your Business More Sustainable Quickly & Easily

Employ The Right People

Your employees will be one of the driving forces behind your company. You’ll need to ensure that they’re able to do their jobs to a high standard.

Naturally, focusing on their skills when you’re hiring them is recommended. That isn’t the only thing you’ll need to consider, however.

You’ll also need to ensure that they can work with your other employees, alongside sharing your company’s values. There are more than a few ways that you can do so.

Much of this comes during the hiring and onboarding process. You could consider using a Firo-B , among other assessments, during this time.

It’ll help ensure you’re hiring the best people for the role.

Focus On Products & Packaging

If you sell products, these will be one of the most important factors to consider when becoming more sustainable. They could be one of the largest drivers of your emissions and environmental impact.

Taking several steps to reduce this impact is recommended. Some of the more notable include:

  • Choosing local suppliers.
  • Picking sustainably sourced materials and supplies.
  • Using recycled or biodegradable materials.

You should also focus on your packing with this. Making this eco-friendly should be a priority. Taking a similar approach as you do with your products – such as using recycled materials – is recommended.

Consider Green Shipping

Green shipping is vital for any sustainability-minded company that delivers its products. While most people think of packaging with this, you’ll need to focus on more than that.

  1. Consolidate orders whenever you can.
  2. Cut down on how much packaging you use.
  3. Use biodegradable or recycled materials.

Implementing as many green shipping strategies as possible is recommended. While this could have an impact on your costs, it’ll reduce your impact on the environment.

How To Make Your Business More Sustainable: Wrapping Up

If you don’t know how to make your business more sustainable, you could feel as though there’s nothing you can do. That isn’t the case.

There are more than a few things that every business can do to become more environmentally friendly. While this will take effort, it can be more than worth it.

With the various benefits that becoming more sustainable offers, there’s no reason not to focus on this. Taking this approach doesn’t need to be as difficult as you’d assume.

Taking a few specific steps can be more than recommended. Doing so will be more straightforward than you’d think.

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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