Many businesses are searching for methods to become more environmentally friendly as they grow more conscious of their influence on the environment. This is advantageous for the environment as well as for business. Customers are growing more aware of how their purchases affect the environment, and they frequently are prepared to pay extra for goods and services that are produced sustainably.
Why be more sustainable?
Making your company more environmentally responsible may help both your short and long-term performance, regardless of whether you own a little coffee shop or a real estate team.
Customers want to support environmentally responsible companies. 90% of consumers said they would be prepared to switch brands to support an environmentally responsible company. Individual efforts to recycle and use less energy can undoubtedly influence the environment, but consumers are aware that corporations’ initiatives have a greater overall impact.
Offer work from home
There is less need for individuals to be in a physical workplace as more work is done online. With the rise of remote work over the past few years, employees now have more work-life flexibility and spend less time commuting.
For the environment, this is excellent. Fewer cars on the road idling in traffic results in a reduction in the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.
This modest adjustment can lessen traffic and a company’s total carbon footprint. Additionally, businesses may save money by stocking, lighting, and heating the office with fewer employees working there.
Use sustainable products
The manufacturing procedures for the supplies businesses buy to keep their workplaces running smoothly, such as printer paper, cleaning supplies, or to-go containers, may be harmful to the environment.
Office managers may search for labelling that indicates it is created from the post or pre-consumer waste on all those widely used paper goods, such as rolls of toilet paper and reams of printer paper. These recycled goods help to keep a circular economy in place and cut down on waste in general.
Office Supplies
Every year, businesses discard a sizable amount of pens, paper products, and other office supplies. Think about bringing refillable pens into your business as reusable supplies. These not only lessen your influence on the environment but may also end up being less expensive in the long term.
You may reduce your environmental impact by assigning a manager or staff person to supervise the stationery closet and keep an inventory of the available supplies. They may also urge employees to take responsibility for their environmental effects and ensure that they understand the value of decreasing office supply waste. Conduct a trash audit and know what you can recycle for a more realistic picture.
Technology
Over time, both computers and accessories deteriorate. It is good to see whether a company has an asset recycling programme where they accept or buy back used equipment rather than tossing them out. E-waste recycling programmes can also be available at nearby office supply retailers. For businesses that give computers to organisations that refurbish them as long as they are in good functioning condition, tax benefits and other incentives are also available.
Recycling help save resources
By recycling, we lessen the need to use natural resources and create new goods from recycled materials. If spent materials are not recycled, new items are created by mining and harvesting raw, virgin earth from the planet. Recycling aids in the preservation of valuable raw resources and the future protection of natural environments.
Recycling reduces energy use.
Even when evaluating all related expenses, such as transportation, the manufacturing process that employs recycled materials consumes a lot less energy than one that creates new items from scratch. Additionally, there are additional energy savings since producing industry-ready materials requires less energy than extracting, refining, transporting, and processing raw materials that are suitable for industry.
Recycling reduces landfill usage.
Recycling enables us to transform garbage into fresh products while reducing the amount of waste thrown in landfills. Over 1,500 landfills were operating in the UK in 2001, and they were responsible for a quarter of the nation’s methane emissions, a strong greenhouse gas.
Refills
Refills for refillable cleaning solutions are available separately and are combined with a reusable container to minimise single-use packaging. They are a more environmentally friendly substitute for single-use (typically plastic) bottles of throwaway cleaning supplies.
Refillable cleaning supplies come in many varieties, including hand soap, all-purpose cleansers, bleach substitutes, and laundry detergents. Refillable canisters can retain powder, spray a cleaning agent, or dispense soap.
By purchasing individual refills, which may be made with little packing, containers can be filled again. Some retailers provide cleaning supplies in bulk, which you may use to immediately refill your container and just pay for the goods.
Electricity from renewable energy
Photovoltaic cells, often known as solar panels, are used in solar photovoltaic (PV) installations to convert solar radiation into electricity. According to the Energy Saving Trust, this enables you to produce your own trustworthy, environmentally friendly, and low-maintenance source of energy, saving the typical UK home one tonne of carbon annually.
Once installed, they create no noise or air pollution and no emissions over their lifetime. This has positive effects on respiratory health and can significantly enhance the local air quality.
To power your heating and hot water totally from renewable sources, solar PV may be paired with electric heating systems like heat pumps. Using eco-friendly heating systems can be very energy efficient.
Eat less meat
The majority of GHG emissions in the agriculture sector are caused by meat and dairy.
From the production stage to processing, packing, and delivery, emissions take place. Methane produced during animal digestion and nitrous oxide, a byproduct of organic and mineral nitrogen fertilisers, are two potent greenhouse gases that are released during farming.
Consuming less meat would help reduce GHG emissions because the production and processing of meat and dairy account for the bulk of emissions. While some choose to radically alter their diets to go vegan, cutting less on meat might already have a significant influence.
Large amounts of water and energy are used in the manufacture of cotton clothing. By purchasing and selling used clothing, accessories, shoes, and other fashion goods, you lower the demand for brand-new products and reduce the burden on manufacturers to create these products in huge quantities.
Buy second-hand products
Additionally, by purchasing used items from neighbourhood retail outlets, you help support neighbourhood businesses and lower emissions from shipping and long-distance travel. Almost often, buying locally is better for the environment.
Used vehicle buyers contribute to a slight reduction in pollution by lowering the need for manufacturers to get the raw materials needed to produce the automobile and send it around the world.
Watch your water use
Monitoring your company’s water use will enable you to examine where and when water is being used, which will enable you to minimise water use in the workplace over time.
Understanding where water is being wasted in the office is the first step in managing water usage. Installing a smart water metre gives you this information and is a great tool for managing energy in general.
There are many ways as a company you become more eco-friendly at Mitchell’s we understand the importance of saving the environment. Please contact us for more information from our commercial electricians.