5 Simple Ways to Make Your Small Business More Eco-Friendly

Did you know that nearly 70% of a company’s carbon footprint could depend on which products clients buy and how they dispose of them? That’s according to consumer goods firm Unilever.

We’re living in a time when corporate environmental stewardship is increasingly important. According to one source, more than half of consumers — 55% — are open to paying more for eco-friendly brands. And around eight in 10 consumers — 84% — say they’ll walk away from a company or brand with poor environmental practices.

While some consumers say one thing and do another, some will put their money where their mouths are. Businesses that want to get ahead should take the environment seriously. It’s not just about virtue signaling with a dash of eco-friendly banter. Research shows that many companies with a business model based on environmental, social, and governance achieve revenue growth.

Here are five simple ways your business can be more environmentally responsible.

1. Adopt a Remote Work Policy

Adopting a remote work policy is one way to be more eco-friendly as a company. Without a physical corporate headquarters, your business can dramatically reduce its carbon footprint and be a more impactful corporate environmental steward. Employees can slash the company’s environmental impact by working from home.

During the pandemic, the percentage of people working remotely in the country climbed to 37% from 5%. And many employers, seeing how well remote working arrangements worked during the lockdown, have allowed workers to continue working remotely all the time or part of the time. So, if your company doesn’t have such a policy, consider it. Your workers will thank you.

2. Recycle

Adopting a corporate recycling program is also a good idea. But it’s also vital to get buy-in from employees. In addition to buying eco-friendly products and supplies, you can encourage management and staff members to recycle and reuse to lessen the corporate carbon footprint.

It’s one easy way to take corporate environmental stewardship more seriously. And once you get everyone in the workplace on board, the accumulative impact will make a difference.

Another option is to organize community projects where groups of employees help collect improperly discarded recyclables in parks and other areas around town.

3. Lessen Waste

You can also be a more sustainable business by reducing waste. One way to accomplish this is to generate less of it. That’s sometimes easier said than done. But it can be done. You can, for instance, be mindful of how much paper you use.

Going paperless isn’t always the best idea. However, reducing paper use can be a step in the right direction. Working with a company offering flyer printing services, booklet printing services, or other printing services of interest can help lessen waste versus doing these tasks in-house.

4. Conserve Water

Yet another way to be a more environmentally friendly business is by reducing water use. There are many ways you can go about this. You can implement no-touch water faucets so no one accidentally leaves faucets running. Low-flow toilet bowls, urinals, and faucets are other options.

5. Increase Energy Efficiency

You can also operate a more eco-friendly business by increasing energy efficiency. Conduct an audit to assess and document energy use. After the audit, you’ll know what steps to take. Options include using solar panels, powering down equipment at the end of the day, swapping incandescent light bulbs for LED light bulbs, and using more natural light.

As you can see, there are things you can do to be a more eco-friendly corporation. It’ll take some effort, but the effort will be worthwhile. Once there’s a plan in place to achieve this goal, your company needs to communicate it and get workers on board.

Article by community Writer.