Running a business these days is not just about having a great product or service that your customers appreciate, many of them also want to do business with you on the strength of having good green credentials as well.
Running an environmentally sustainable business is a smart move on a number of levels, it not only demonstrates to your customers that you care about important issues such as reducing your carbon-footprint but your company can also reduce costs and improve profits by reducing waste.
Here are some ways that your business can become more environmentally sustainable.
Recycle
The Environment Agency provides guidance for businesses on what their responsibilities are in terms of disposing of waste and one of the most important aspects to consider is recycling.
It is very difficult to argue against the observation that recycling is highly beneficial to the environment and any reduction in the amount of waste that is heading for landfill will have long-term benefits and will help to reduce the impact of pollution.
It is very simple to adopt a basic recycling strategy in your office by having two bins within easy reach of every worker, one for waste and one for recycling. Also consider using a recycling service when it comes to recycling your old computer equipment, so that someone else can benefit from the re-use of this equipment and you reduce your waste at the same time.
Office furniture
A large amount of desks and other office furniture needlessly ends up in landfill every year when it can be put to use by charities and other organisations in need of donations of this kind.
It makes sense to try and buy quality furniture from a supplier such as Rapid Office so that you minimise the need for recycling old items and when you do have some items to get rid of, try to find a not-for-profit organisation who can collect your unwanted items and find a suitable new home for them, reducing your burden on landfill and fulfilling a need at the same time.
Saving energy
With constantly rising energy costs and the treat of dwindling resources, the message is getting through that we all need to do what we can to keep our energy costs under control and to combat global warming.
It makes sound commercial sense to promote your green credentials to your customers and this commitment has to be backed up with visual evidence of your statement of intent.
Finding ways to reduce your energy consumption and costs will not only impact on your bottom line but it will also be well received by your customers so take some simple steps to achieve this goal.
Make sure that you switch your lighting from the old incandescent to energy-efficient fluorescent bulbs and make sure that you turn off your computer whenever it is not in use.
These are not radical ideas but simple and effective ideas that work and will save you money and boost your green credentials, so make sure you take action to demonstrate your commitment to saving the environment in any way that you can through the way you run your business.
Lily Hooper is passionate about green living. She enjoys blogging about her effective methods of running an eco-friendly business.
