Being an entrepreneur can certainly have its benefits, but it also comes with responsibilities. One area where you might feel under pressure is your company’s carbon footprint. People are increasingly aware of the importance of protecting the planet, and so it’s no surprise that a rising number of businesses are looking for ways to go green. So, if you’re keen to give your company’s environmental credentials a boost, keep reading. Here are four steps you can follow to make your company more eco-friendly.
Use renewable energy sources
From powering up your computer, to switching on lights and heating systems, to boiling the kettle, you may not realise how much energy your company uses on an average day. So that your business is able to stay up and running without doing unnecessary harm to the environment, you could use renewable energy sources instead of relying solely on mains electricity and gas. For example, you could have solar panels installed on your premises. As energy suppliers Flogas point out, this can help keep your carbon emissions low and enable you to benefit from significantly reduced overheads.
Set up a ‘cycle to work’ scheme
It’s no secret that car emissions are bad for the environment, and since it’s likely a large proportion of your personal drive into work each day, now could be the ideal time to set up a ‘cycle to work’ scheme. These programmes encourage workers to ditch their motors and cycle instead, which in turn puts less strain on the environment. When you sign up, you’ll be able to take advantage of National Insurance savings, while your employees can benefit from discounted bikes and accessories. Aside from being kind to the planet, this is a great way to promote a healthier and more active lifestyle.
Introduce a recycling system
Making a conscious effort to recycle is an easy yet highly effective way of making your business more eco-friendly. Instead of carelessly using one bin to get rid of scraps of paper and unwanted plastic packaging, you could introduce a recycling system and encourage your employees to separate their rubbish. Although this is a fairly simple task, it’s a great way to make sure your business is doing its bit for the environment.
Go digital
While there may be certain pieces of paperwork you simply need to have hard copies of, for everything else you could go digital. By scanning, uploading and storing vital information on your computer system, you’ll be able to significantly reduce the amount of paper you need to use, which is good news for the planet. There are a whole host of electronic sharing platforms you and your team can use to share and edit documents. Aside from being a more eco-friendly approach, it will mean you’re able to spend much less on paper and printer ink.
By putting these suggestions into practice, your organisation is guaranteed to reduce its harmful impact on the environment.
