Four Simple Sustainability Tips For Your Business

779 Views

Sustainability is one of the biggest challenges facing businesses at the moment. It has become abundantly clear that business owners need to be part of the solution as the UK faces soaring temperatures and extreme weather events. While the government’s ideas for how they can minimise the country’s emissions are coming under scrutiny from experts and individuals who think about how they can create less waste energy, business owners need to take a long look at the way they run their companies on a daily basis.

Not every idea for how to go greener needs to involve blue-sky thinking. There are plenty of simple, straightforward steps that you can take to be more sustainable in the months and years to come.

Here are some ideas to help you get to a greener point in your roadmap.

How Much Energy Are You Using?

Let’s start with a point that everyone has been thinking about with the soaring cost of energy here in the UK. One of the simplest ways that you can be more sustainable is to reduce the amount of waste energy that you’re creating. Simple steps that you might already be taking at home apply to your office too. That means turning out the lights after the last person has left for the day. It means reminding your staff that they need to switch their computers off instead of leaving them on standby overnight. When it comes to heating and air-conditioning, you might need to look at how well-insulated your office space is. There’s always going to be an energy cost when you’re bringing people to work in the same space, but you can certainly cut it down.

How Are Your Staff Getting To Work?

If you’re staring out at a full car park every day, then it might be time to think about how you can make some changes when it comes to your team’s morning commute. The good news is that they may be very receptive to new ideas given that petrol has seen some quite shocking price hikes and shortages over the last couple of years. If your office is near public transport routes, then you could think about subsidising weekly tickets for your team. You could also think about whether you have enough room in your budget to pay for bicycles for anyone who’d like to cycle to work. However, the fact is that sometimes people do just need to drive to the office. A rideshare system is a way that they can save money, but it doesn’t do a huge amount for the carbon footprint if it’s not convenient for people. So why not think about helping your team with electric cars? Electric cars are so much better for the environment, and they are becoming increasingly affordable. You can add some extra encouragement for your staff to get involved by using a salary sacrifice scheme. Visit LV Electrix to find out how a salary sacrifice scheme for electric cars could work for your business.

Talk To Your Partners And Suppliers

One of the best ways that you can take positive steps and get some new ideas is by talking to the other companies that you work with. For example, you may have decided to use recycled and recyclable material for your packaging, but why not talk to your delivery partner about the cost of upgrading to electronic vehicles? You could also think about partnering with your business contacts on a charitable green cause to offset some of your carbon footprints. There is always going to be a certain environmental impact but getting involved with a charity or an initiative can help you to ensure that you’re doing something positive at the same time.

Recycle Your Waste Properly

It’s one thing to separate your plastics, glass, paper, and metal waste when you’re at home. But some people find it a bit tougher when they’re at the office. There can be a huge amount of waste created at work and as the business owner, it’s up to you to make sure that as much is being recycled as possible. You can start by ensuring that people are only printing things out when it is absolutely essential. You should also think about getting rid of any plastics in your staff’s break area, such as cups and straws. Make recycling bins more readily available so that your team isn’t putting the wrong materials into the bins under their desks. But one of the biggest issues is electronic waste. E-waste is a major problem in the UK and around the world. If you are getting rid of any old computers, for example, you need to be responsible. Think about donating them to a charity if they still work. If they do need to be disposed of, then find an electronic recycling facility that will take care of them properly.