In 2021, more and more people are starting to realise the impact that we as humans are making on our planet. People are making lower waste alternatives, making an effort to preserve energy, changing what they put on their plates and generally doing what they can to preserve what we have on Earth.
As a business owner, you too have a responsibility to do your part to take better care of the environment, and there are tons of ways in which this can be done. You can take an online MBA in Sustainability so you and your business can help pave the way to a “greener” future by understanding the foundation of complex relationships between your business and the natural environment. Whether your efforts are massive or on a smaller scale, every little bit counts. Here are some ideas to be more eco-friendly in business.
Use Green Transport
Businesses who have vehicles out on the road a lot tend to contribute more to fossil fuel emissions that can be seriously damaging to the planet. Fortunately, there are a few ways that this can be managed, minimised and controlled.
Green diesel fuel HVO fuel is a fossil free fuel that can help you to massively reduce your greenhouse gas emissions with ease. Another option for travel-dependent businesses is to switch over to EV. Electric vehicles may be pricey on the initial purchase, but you’ll end up saving money in the long run due to your fuel costs being eradicated. This is a swap that’s better for the environment and for your pocket too.
Switch to Clean Energy
Running a business takes up a lot of energy, there’s no way around it. Keeping your energy use as low as possible is an important first step to take. Reduce your energy use by minimising it wherever possible and be sure to switch lights, heating and taps off whenever they’re not needed – this goes for at home as well as in the office!
However, if you want to make a bigger impact in this regard, switching over to clean energy in the form of solar power is a phenomenal move to make. Much like with electric vehicles, this swap requires a big investment. But this is something that will pay for itself in the years to come when your electricity bill consistently turns up at $0.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
This seems simple, but recycling is a small and easy change that anybody can make, which makes a huge difference. Recycling is important for a business for many different reasons and can provide loads of benefits for the planet, the community and for the business itself.
Implementing a recycling program within your business can do wonders for your business’s place within the community and can function as a CSR initiative too. This can help build your brand while simultaneously contributing to a better future.
Go Low-Waste
A low-waste lifestyle is one that takes careful consideration and constant effort, and you won’t succeed 100% every time. This is okay! What’s important in going low-waste is that you as an individual or business are consistently attempting to reduce or eliminate your waste by avoiding single-use plastics and using up other materials like paper unnecessarily.
As a business, going digital in your administration and planning is a great change to make as this will limit your use of paper as well as energy required for printing.
Be Sustainable
Making your business’ products and any services you offer as sustainable as possible is an important step to take. On top of doing your part for the environment, this will be a great move for your brand image and will encourage eco-conscious customers to support your business.
This could look like changing over to more sustainable packaging, being more eco-friendly in your deliveries, offering refills on products for a lower price or even selling low-waste and eco-friendly products. There are so many ways to level up the sustainability factor of your business.
Remote Work
Finally, we have to consider the fact that Covid-19 has taught us that going into the office isn’t always necessary. Allowing your employees (or however many of them is viable) to work remotely can save your business in so many ways.
Limiting the number of vehicles on the road is a great step towards preserving our planet, but this can be great for your business in other ways too. If your staff can all realistically work from home, you could save money on office rental space and even improve the productivity and attitude of your workers.
Having the freedom and flexibility to work from home can often improve work efficiency which will be great for your workflow while you’re saving the world.
