This article will teach you 9 ways to make your business more eco-friendly, benefitting your business and the environment at the same time.
Currently, more businesses are being environmentally conscious and are taking measures to go more “green.”
And you can join the fray.
There are numerous ways to make your business more eco-friendly, from solar-powered home offices to environmentally sustainable clothing fabrics.
Today, we will cover 9 ways you can make your business greener this year!
Table of Contents:
- What Does It Mean For Businesses To Be More “Green”?
- Why Should Environmental Sustainability Be Prioritized?
- How Can Your Business Be More Green?: 9 Strategies
- A Wrap-Up On Going Green
What Does It Mean For Businesses To Be More "Green"?
“Going green” is the practice of choosing alternatives that support a healthier environment.
What you choose in your “green” efforts can range from how your business’s energy is powered to the materials you use for your product or service.
Going green can bring many benefits to your business so let’s explore a few reasons why it should be prioritized.
Why Should Environmental Sustainability Be Prioritized?
Here are 3 reasons why going “green” may be ideal for your small business.
1. Consumer Preference
Consumers are getting smarter.
And more specifically…their values are changing.
With the advent of the internet, information can spread fast and one of the prominent messages today is the importance of environmental sustainability.
This is the messaging that many consumers advocate for, which brings them to evaluate and question the products they buy.
Having your small business go greener can open the door to new markets that want what you have to offer.
For instance, selling clothing made from recycled materials and marketing them to an environmentally conscious audience can create long-term customers.
A survey found that over 80% of people respect brands that adopt eco-friendly practices, and you can imagine that this figure may only grow in time.
2. Edges The Competition
Going more green in your business is excellent for the environment, but it may also make you stand out from competitors.
This comes down to the value proposition of being environmentally friendly.
If you’re selling the same thing as a competitor but have an environmentally conscious addition, it can make your offer more unique.
3. Reduction In Costs
Going more green can help you save on costs throughout the year.
For instance, you can use recycled materials to manufacture a product. Another example is adopting solar panels to produce renewable electricity (and many other things that we’ll cover soon).
Although it may not seem like you’re lowering much as far as costs are concerned, you may be surprised at how much you’ll save in just a given year.
With that said, let’s get into the 9 ways to make your business more green.
How Can Your Businesses Be More Green?: 9 Strategies
1. Use Paperless Billing
Paperless billing allows you to see your monthly statements, receipts, and other bills at a glance, rather than thumbing through paper mail.
Opting For e-Bills helps reduce how much paper your business uses, saving trees in the process.
2. Work With "Green" Vendors
Vendors, suppliers, and or contractors run their operations differently, and some may prioritize environmental practices over others.
You can always start by asking company partners about their environmental practices.
You can also look for companies that consciously practice “green procurement.”
You may be wondering what that is, so let me explain:
Green procurement is when a business sources products or services with the environment in mind.
For example, you could use a fulfillment company that uses plant-based packaging to ship your products to customers over the usual cardboard boxes.
This is how a “green” vendor can make your business greener.
3. Don’t Just Recycle Paper, But Electronics too
Old electronics used for your business can get recycled at your local recycling center.
This can help:
- Reduce pollution
- Contribute to other electronics through its parts.
- Reduce energy used to create new electronics
4. Take Advantage Of Recycled Paper
Recycled paper is paper made from old paper (don’t worry it still looks new).
Did you know that recycling paper creates 35% less water pollution and 74% less air pollution than newer paper?
You can always find recycled paper sold online and it can be used to print your different documents.
5. Offer More Remote Work
More and more teams today are working from home, which poses more benefits than the typical work dress shirt and pajama combo.
If you operate from an office, remote work can help reduce the use of electricity, water, and heating used in your office while also helping cut costs.
6. Refill Ink Cartridges
You can refill ink cartridges instead of buying new ones when your current cartridge runs out.
And the best part?
This can help reduce your footprint as far as plastic goes and prevent future plastics from ending up in landfills.
7. Compost…A Lot
Composting is when you recycle organic waste so that it can be reused to provide for the environment.
For instance, you can store your compostable materials in a separate office cooler to be later used to help with improving soil quality for a local organization.
Some compost friendly materials include:
- Eggshells
- Nutshells
- Tea bags
- Cardboard (without plastic coating)
- Coffee grounds
- Coffee filters
- Paper
Once your compost is compiled, you can send it to your local composting service or compost bins for it to be used for green environmental efforts.
8. Look For Sustainable Materials AND Fabrics
Sustainable materials can be great if you’re offering a product and, just as we covered earlier, can open the door to new customers.
But sustainable materials don’t have to be in your product instead, you can opt to have them in company uniforms or “company swag.”
Some examples of environmentally sustainable fabrics include:
- Linen
- Organic hemp
- Econyl
- Organic cotton
- Qmonos
- Bamboo
9. Remember Solar Energy
The use of solar panels can help turn solar energy into electrical energy. It’s one of the more popular ways of “greening” your business and doesn’t necessarily have to cost an arm and a leg.
Solar power doesn’t produce greenhouse gasses. It has the added benefit of helping you save on electricity year in and year out.
A Wrap-Up On Going Green
A more green business can open you to new markets that value environmentally conscious products, can cut costs, and even edge the competition.
We hope the ideas in this article gave you multiple ways to think about being more green in your business this year!