How Can Your Business Be Kinder to the Environment?

Businesses across the globe are responsible for a whole lot of pollution, and as company owners this is something we need to think about with our own ventures. After all, we should all be responsible for ourselves, and when you run a business, you’re the one whose decisions count. Here’s how you can go about making your business more eco friendly.

Go Paper Free

Businesses still use far too much paper, despite the fact that so much of what we do is now online. But there are easy ways that you can rectify this, for example, instead of sending out things like paper invoices, receipts and statements to customers, set ‘paper free’ to be your standard option. Customers can always request paper copies if they need them, but won’t end up with unnecessary paper (that just goes in the bin anyway) if they don’t. You can have your own company’s mail delivered electronically where possible instead of through the post, and eventually aim to have a paper-free office like many other corporations around the world which are already working on this.

Use Less Plastic

We all know too well that plastic is causing an environmental crisis, and it’s up to each and every one of us to use less of the stuff. Some easy ways to do this in an office environment include using refillable pens and printer cartridges instead of disposables. If you take into consideration that over four million disposable pens are thrown away every day in the US alone, you can see that this amounts to a whole lot of plastic and so these simple changes do add up in a big way.

Consider Your Waste Products

Even if you really cut down on things like paper and plastic, there’s always still going to be some waste involved when you’re running a business. So for this reason, it’s important to dispose of it responsibly. Recycle where possible, teaching staff members how to separate things properly and put different materials into the correct bins. Another option would be to turn your waste into something else which can be reused. For example, if you end up with lots of scrap wood then a briquette press could turn this into logs which can be sold to companies or individuals for things like fireplaces and chimineas. If you’re a coffee shop, the grounds can be given away or sold to other businesses- beauty companies often use them in things like facial and body scrubs. 

Choose The Right Suppliers

Finally, the suppliers you choose can also be picked with the environment in mind. For example, you could opt for companies which only use recycled paper, low VOC paint or sustainably sourced wood. When you buy from these kinds of companies, it really helps to create a demand for more of them, meaning more sustainable companies will emerge as a result to supply that demand. Do some research, whether you’re buying office furniture or working with a company who supplies you with materials, go for ones that actually do some good in the world if you can.