A sustainable, eco-friendly business has become something that many businesses in many industries strive for. New businesses often have a better shot at it as they can start from scratch but older businesses trying to ‘green’ themselves may have a harder job. There are plenty of ways to make small changes that can make a difference and below are some easy ways of creating a greener business.
Green Ethos
Making green thinking central to your company culture is the best place to start. Engage your workforce in your thinking and ensure all new employees are made aware of your image as a green business. Ensure you have methods to measure the green changes you make so you can feedback to your employees about the effectiveness of the green agenda.
Light bulb Switch Up
Switching light bulbs may not seem like a big move but the savings will be palpable. No, you won’t save millions of kWhs a year but you will see the benefits of swapping to energy efficient LED lighting. They last five times longer than normal bulbs for a start so the initial increased cost will seem worth it.
No more Plastics
It’d be a step too far to ban plastic bottles from the office but you could remove the plastic cups that come with water coolers, instead encouraging people to use their own bottles from home. If you send a clear statement about plastic in the office the message may hit home with some employees too. 32 million tons of plastic waste was generated in the US in 2011 and this figure will only continue without significant work to limit it.
Recycle and Repurpose
There are many things in your office that can be recycled. Beyond paper and ink cartridges you can recycle your old computers and IT equipment.
Greener Cleaning
Another step you can make towards a greener business is to invest only in green cleaning products. Replacing the products that are usually used with greener alternatives, or asking your cleaning company to do so, is another way of supporting the environment and avoiding the use of toxins which could be damaging in the long term.
Creating a greener ethos for your workplace is just the beginning and once you’ve started it won’t be long until your whole ethos is much greener.
