These days, there are so many products and services to choose from, that you have to set yourself apart.
Businesses are being judged by their ethics as well as the products they present. In this environmentally conscious world, it’s never been more important to be green fingered. But how can we do this in a way that helps improve our ethics, but also serves the business in that fundamental method of money saving?
Go Paperless
If you haven’t already, it’s time to truly embrace one of the major methods to cut back on your carbon footprint. Going paperless can seem like a very difficult idea to integrate. But as so many people are using their laptops and tablets for business purposes, not to mention the fact that the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) process is up and running in many companies, going paperless needn’t be a difficult process. Granted, there are plenty of people who need to use paper for their own personal reasons, but you can switch to post-consumer waste (PCW) paper and paper products. PCW paper is made entirely from recycled paper. While you may look for the recycling symbol on a box of paper, it’s not as strictly regulated as you think.
Go Biodegradable
There are many different ways to use biodegradable products in your business, it’s not just using all natural products in aspects of the business that you don’t see significant results from. While there are biodegradable cleaning products out there that will minimise exposure to toxins, from the perspective of a business, you could get in contact with a manufacturer of biodegradable plastic tokens. When you are looking to save money when buying the round, plastic tokens, any unique form of currency like this can help to minimise overheads because it doesn’t encourage the idea of spending physical money. There are suppliers that deal with exclusively biodegradable office products and it’s amazing how many different items of stationery are biodegradable. In fact, from stationery to files and cups for the vending machine, the options are endless.
Using Alternative Energy
One of the most common methods that businesses try to go green is by using alternative energy sources. In many areas, you can sign-up to purchase green power from your utility provider, which is generated from renewable energy. There are so many renewable energy sources out there, such as hydropower, solar power, and even plant power. Even though it can increase your electricity bill by a small percentage, when you look at your business from a subjective viewpoint, this increase in cost can be offset in other ways, like alternative methods of transportation or buying used office furniture.
Green Web Hosting
When looking to improve your business budget, working with green web hosts that exclusively endeavour to reduce carbon footprints is one of the best ways to get ahead of the game. Many companies now purchase carbon offsets and energy certificates so they can reduce the environmental cost of their servers. The great thing with green web hosting companies is that they cost the same, or in some cases even less than those that run servers with fossil fuels.
Get An Energy Audit
There are numerous companies that will perform energy audits around your office for free. By pointing out the major errors in your office environment, and highlighting where you can benefit from additional insulation, or purchasing more carbon footprint friendly items, you could save up to 20% of the costs of your energy bills. 20% is such a significant saving and the fact that an energy audit can be done for free; it’s an easy way to really cut down your business expenses.
Install Energy Efficient Appliances
If you want to start now, purchasing compact fluorescent CFL or LED lights will make a significant saving. While these lights cost more upfront than standard bulbs, they will last a lot longer and use less energy. In fact, you can save up to £150 in energy for each bulb! So even if you don’t know where to begin, by making a few simple light bulb swaps, you will reap the benefits!
Being environmentally friendly comes with a lot of additional costs, but the great thing is that over time you will definitely save more money than you will spend. For those businesses that are tentative about jumping into this way of thinking, it’s common sense because it will save your business money. But as so many people are looking to purchase from ethical companies, this does your business a great service.
