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Green Tips for an Environmentally-Friendly Business

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Pushing green and sustainable practices is one of the best ways for a business to reduce its carbon footprint and overall negative impact on the planet while also boosting its good PR (green practices can positively impact the reputation of a company in the long run). And why shouldn’t you go green when it’s actually quite easy. From recycling to educating your staff, it’s only necessary to make a few small adjustments to your policies and operations to become greener. If you need to know how you can green up your business, here are a few ideas that work: 

Examine your operations

Start your green-up with an audit. Consult with an outside audit company to suggest a variety of changes that can be implemented to reduce resource usage and waste and improve sustainability and safety in the company. 

Consider your location

If you’re just opening up your small business or looking for a new location, consider choosing a size that’s close to bike lanes and encourages walking, cycling, and carpooling. If you provide workers and customers with easy means to transit, cycle, or walk to your business, they might be willing to return some more money into your pocket. 

Conserve electricity and water

The idea that you need to conserve resources in order to become more sustainable is both intuitive and realistic. If you hope to improve sustainability in your company as well as save some money on bills, you need to ensure that all the lights, electronics, and machines are not running in vain and that water in toilets and kitchens is not being wasted. 

It’s also a great idea to put up signs around the office that state that the last person to leave the premises should ensure all the lights and devices are turned off. The waste in resources and finances caused by leaving machines and electronics running all the time is atrocious. So rather than being a part of the problem, work towards being the solution by using these opportunities that don’t cost anything to save money and resources. 

Encourage green waste management

No matter how much you try to minimize your waste, it will definitely find its way into your office and operations, so at least dispose of it safely and properly. You can do this by equipping your offices and storage spaces with recycling stations that will make it convenient for workers to recycle. For instance, Australians are very versed in recycling so check out some of the models they use and adapt them in your office. If you want to go even greener, look up waste management in Australia and investigate their services. You will see some new waste management equipment, learn about chute solutions and get insight into operational waste management planning. 

Go paperless

Your company should definitely consider switching to recycled paper that’s more environmentally friendly, but that’s not all you can do to reduce paper impact. A great idea is to start moving towards a paperless future today and store all your documents digitally. Thanks to cloud technology, it’s very easy and cost-effective to safely store computerized data and make it accessible for free. This practice will make your business greener, reduce clutter in your office, free up storage space and save money. Many business people still love to read from documents they can hold in their hands, but with the ability to print only important parts or access everything with a tablet, people will quickly get used to this sustainable practice. 

Use green materials

By using recyclable or reusable materials, your office can quickly improve its sustainability. For instance, you can use 100% recyclable and BPA-free bottles for products and staff use, as well as using biodegradable labels and recyclable packaging. If you’re shipping your products, there are shipping boxes options that are made with 100% recycled materials and can be recycled and reused. In your office, make sure to focus on reused furniture and repurposed items. 

Break bad habits

Relying on single-use plastic and paper is convenient—that’s a habit we need to break. By breaking everyday employee habits that create a lot of waste, companies can reduce their waste and their environmental footprint with one stone. Here’s a good example—try to ditch single-cup coffee makers and replace them with more traditional ways of making coffee where one tin of coffee grounds can produce 100+ cups of coffee for a fraction of waste and cost. 

Encourage green behavior

If you notice praise-worthy behaviors from your employees, make sure to reward them. For instance, employees who bring their lunch and coffee in reusable containers can get a free coffee or lunch gift cards. 

Make sustainable connections

One of the best ways to boost sustainability in your company is to connect with other companies in your community that share your vision. By partnering with companies and groups, you can gain better insights into things that swallow resources and how to improve your sustainability. This way, you can create a network of worthy businesses consumers will stay loyal to.

Going green has many benefits that are not purely environmental. You can save money, retain customers, attract new consumers and stay afloat in the green future, so there’s no better time to go green than now! 

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