Top 10 Tips to make Businesses Eco Friendly

For your business to be more environmentally friendly, your staff need to be involved from the very beginning. The government has a carbon reduction target and to help them reach it, they are fining businesses that are not taking action to reduce their carbon emissions. A report will now have to be sent to the government, telling them exactly how much carbon every company listed on Stock Exchange are generating. This is a progression from the Corporate Social Responsibility report.

Make your business green by following these simple steps. They will help you avoid being heavily fined by the government.

• Use a reduced amount of Paper – Use both sides of the paper when printing. Paper accounts for 35% of business waster, yet it can be recycled pretty easily. Likewise, instead of keeping paper records save all significant documents in files on your desktop.

• Go Digital – There is software available now that allows you to sign contracts digitally. This saves you printing off the document that is normally very long. Payments and invoices can also be sent digitally using PayPal.

• Turn off your Computer – If you leave your computer monitor inactive for a few minutes it will turn itself off. At a specified time you can set-up your computer to shut down automatically. However, you should be in the routine of switching everything prior to leaving the office.

• Recycle – Have a separate bin for leftover food, so you can turn it into fertiliser. Staff will have no reason not to recycle if you don’t make them think about it and they just do it out of habit. Practices can include putting a paper only bin next to the printer and photocopier. 

• Use Green Suppliers – Your oil supplier, web design team and even your employees contribute to your carbon emissions. Therefore, it is a good idea to take green factors into consideration before choosing suppliers.

• Reuse – Your local charity shop will be grateful to receive any unwanted items you may have. So before you throw things away, think if it may be of use to someone else.

• Junk Letters – If you’re regularly receiving mail that is of no interest to you, ask the company to remove you from their mailing list.

• Green Office – If possible buy items made from renewable sources when purchasing new items for your workplace.

• Dripping Taps – Up to 10,000 liters of water can be wasted annually by having a dripping tap. Therefore, it is important to turn them off fully.

• Teaching – Don’t expect your staff to know how to recycle. You will need to tell them what you need them to do. Anything you implement won’t be of any use to your business, unless your staff know what needs to be done.

So these were Top 10 ways by which businesses can be more environmentally friendly.