5 ways your business can be greener to save money
A lot of progressive, modern businesses have set the goal of becoming greener in 2021 and the extended future because it can save you money in the long run, but there are many other benefits to doing this. Here are some of the main benefits to going green:
- It helps to save the planet!
- Brand image and reputation improves, which boosts profits
- Sustainability
- A healthier work environment
As you can see, going green is a win-win situation – as it benefits businesses internally whilst also helping the environment. The amazing part about this is that any sized business can go green, whether you’re a small startup or an established brand name that is looking to make some changes and save some money in the meantime.
With all that said, here are five easily achievable ways you can be greener.
Reduce your energy consumption
For decades now, businesses in every country around the world – from the United States to China – have operated in ways that waste far too much energy, ultimately harming the environment. Offices filled with hundreds of workers waste too much electricity and gas. For example, work computers that aren’t in use are left turned on, lights remain on overnight, and the heating is unnecessarily high – you get the point. This is all draining your money and negatively impacting the earth.
So, to combat this, businesses are reducing their energy consumption by following key practices, such as reducing their office space and choosing energy providers that offer lower prices and more reliable service. To compare the best energy providers for your business, head over to businesscomparison.com, where you will be able to find a provider that saves you money.
Source from green suppliers
Many businesses have supply chains that are not eco-friendly and are, in fact, very damaging to the environment. They might source from a supplier who has a factory that pumps harmful fumes into the air or has lots of truck drivers to transport stock when they could using more efficient, environmentally friendly methods.
Research your industry for green suppliers and try to work with them instead. You might find local green suppliers, which could bring down the overall cost, too, as the supplies don’t have to travel as far.
Recycle, recycle, recycle
In the 21st century, recycling has massively grown in popularity in the fight to save the environment – but is your business doing enough? If you have a large office space or even just a home office, make sure that recycling bins are a feature. It might seem small, and like you’re not achieving anything on a large scale, but every little bit counts towards saving the environment! As you are sending less to the landfill, you will be saving money on disposal costs, but a bonus is that some waste can even be sold, such as cardboard and paper, so you might even make a little bit of extra profit from your recycling efforts.
Focus on reducing your travel footprint
Despite how terrible the COVID-19 era has been, have you noticed how much more peaceful the roads and sky are? This is because travel has been significantly reduced, as people haven’t been commuting to work and going to unnecessary business meetings (when we now know that Zoom calls are a perfectly acceptable alternative!).
So, when life starts to return to normal, try and maintain a healthy attitude towards travel. Walk when possible, make use of public transport, and encourage your team to do the same! Or encourage working from home, several days of the week, to save on costs to keep the office open.
Only print when it is essential
Phones, tablets, and computers allow the luxury of only dealing with documents in digital form (such as PDFs), which massively helps the environment and your expenses every month due to the need to buy paper and ink.
Sometimes, though, physical documents are required – or are more suitable to a specific situation. Make sure to only print in these circumstances. You can also use recycled printing paper to be extra green.
