How to make your business environmentally friendly
How can you make your office or business more environmentally friendly?
It is becoming ever more important that businesses are seen to be doing their bit to reduce their energy requirements and help the environment.
But it also makes sense as a means of reducing business overheads and for a business’ reputation.
Sustainable offices that meet a global set of sustainability criteria are LEED-certified (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).
This means they have energy-efficient walls, heat-efficient flooring and the latest in green lighting and fixtures. While the initial costs may be significant the savings in the long run will make up for it.
The benefits include lower maintenance costs and energy bills, and if you reduce your reliance on printers a reduction in the use of paper toner and ink.
Entrepreneur.com has a number of suggestions for becoming a “greener” office.
They include the reduction in printers, mentioned above, switching to paperless statements using e-signatures and ditching the fax machines.
You can also look closely at your supply chain and procurement habits.
For example, if your business sells products that require packaging you can source the least environmentally damaging goods.
If you have to use plastics or polythene you can try to keep it to a minimum and ensure that whatever you do use is biodegradable.
Can your business operate in a smaller space with your staff working remotely? This may be another way of reducing the business’ carbon footprint, not to mention the overheads.
Every business is different but all can employ some creative thinking toe become greener and more environmentally sustainable.
