How to make your business more eco-Friendly.
Since the industrial revolution both carbon levels and global temperatures have increased dramatically. The carbon pollution stays in our atmosphere and consequently traps the heat from the sun. This can cause extreme weather such as intense flooding or droughts. 97% of climate scientists agree that man-made pollution is warming our climate. In May 2019 the UK declared a Climate Emergency with many local areas stating they want to become carbon- neutral by 2030. To do this we need to work together, making a few small changes to our businesses.
Reusable Plastic Bottles
Plastic convenience products have made a huge contribution towards climate change. However the sales of bottled water are still on the rise. Look around your office, are your employees drinking bottled water now? Plastic bottles take hundreds of years to decompose if they make their way to landfills. One of the simplest ways to make a difference is to get rid of the disposables and purchase a reusable water bottle for your team. You will spot in our 1 Accounts office that each of the team have pink bottles from Hyd8 m8.
Reduce Paper Waste
Technology has come on leaps and bounds in the last 10 years. Whilst some businesses are embracing how technology can help, others are stuck still using paper processes. Moving to the cloud can not only help the environment but will help streamline your business processes too. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental impact of human activity causing businesses with paper processes to be less efficient and under scrutiny from its customers.
Leave the car at home
Road transport contributes 22% of total UK emissions of CO2. Only 6% of the UK population are walking to work and only 3% are cycling. Walking & cycling can have great health benefits and can help reduce the carbon emissions that are caused by commuting to work. From the 1 Accounts team, Jade, Katie, Kerry & Paul all walk/wheel to the office. For some people walking or cycling to work will not be possible however encouragement to those who can cannot hurt. For those meetings where you have to drive a long distance or even fly, consider using a video call using software such as Skype or Zoom. You can also bring in a work from home policy, allowing you & your employees to work from home even if only on a part time basis. This will reduce the energy used in your office spaces each day both saving money and cutting your businesses carbon footprint.
Office Space
Small changes such as changing to LED Lightbulbs can conserve energy reducing your electricity bills and will help protect the environment. You can also improve the air quality of your office by investing in office plants. Plants will help to clean the air and specific plants such as peace lilies, rubber plants and snake plants can help to remove contaminants too.
Power Off
Many businesses unnecessarily waste energy by not turning off their computers or appliances. To help you both save money and conserve energy make it compulsory for your employees to turn off their computers. Then identify any electronics in your office that stay on overnight, such as the printer and assign someone to shut these off at the end of the day.
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
The three rules of protecting the environment are reduce, reuse and recycle. Set up a recycling bin for your employees. This will help avoid any recycling going into the waste bin due to an absence of recycling bin in the office.
Making your business eco-friendly does not have to be a big chore, by just making a few small changes you can really make a difference.
Watch this space for our next blog on how your business being eco-friendly can help your business:
- Save money
- Attract customers
- Utilise tax incentives
- Increase employee retention
- Build a good brand reputation and increase publicity
- Keep up with competition
- Expand revenue opportunities.
