Switching a business from its current model to one that is more environmentally friendly and sustainable is never easy. For many businesses there doesn’t seem to be much incentive to break a long-established (and presumably successful) model in order to pursue one that is green.
In many cases this reluctance stems from the fact that ‘going green’ is seen to be a significant investment that promises little or no returns. However, by focusing on reusing, the opposite is actually true.
Make the switch to digital
It is surprising how many businesses still use paper for a variety of purposes – especially considering most businesses nowadays are fully equipped to go digital. Considering most of the paper that is used by businesses is for temporary consumption and is thrown away, going digital would provide a significant move towards a more sustainable path.
Not only is making the switch to digital a more environmentally-friendly step, but it also will provide significant savings. That is why it is often viewed as the quickest way to move towards sustainability almost painlessly.
Reuse items and tools
Every business uses various items and tools – and a huge portion of those items tend to be disposable in nature. Switching over to reusable packaging alternatives is one way to not only steer the business to be more sustainable, but also save on costs in the long term.
Some of the ways in which this can be accomplished include doing away with disposable polystyrene containers and replacing them with reusable plastic trays, or replacing paper tissues near washbasins with towels instead. Although these may seem like small steps, when implemented on a large enough scale they can make a huge difference.
Take measures to stop food wastage
It is difficult to completely stop food wastage, but an easy first step is to use a dedicated food bin in the office. Having a bin for food waste will make it easy to recycle that waste by composting it – and it will also make staff more aware of the amount of food that is being thrown away.
In the long term that awareness may prove more valuable than anything, but in the meantime starting to recycle food is going to help the business re-use its food waste in a positive way.
Don’t waste heating
Keeping an office heated during winter months is a huge toll in and of itself. While turning off the heat is definitely out of the question, at very least you could make sure your business isn’t wasting the heating.
Assuming your building is properly insulated then by shutting all the doors and windows you should be able to turn the heat on in the morning and then turn it off later in the day. Some of the more modern systems even do this automatically.
By taking these easy steps down a sustainable path, your business should be able to go green in a way that is not going to affect its day to day workflow. If anything, it may even help improve certain areas and provide numerous long term benefits.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
