Every Monday on our LinkedIn page, we post an eco tip for businesses, to help them find ways of being more eco friendly and sustainable! Follow us on LinkedIn here to get weekly updates, or see all business tips so far below:
1. Review your workplace recycling scheme
A really simple one to start with which every workplace can enforce and can make such a big difference! Are there sufficient recycling points for employees to easily separate their waste accordingly, and are you recycling everything you possibly can?
2. Use eco friendly web browsers
Switch your employees' default web browsers to an eco friendly option, eg. Ecosia which plants trees for every web search!
3. Go paperless
A really simple change which can reduce your workplace paper consumption by a huge amount. Try introducing an opt-in system for paper bills for customers (you'll be surprised by how many people are happy to have electronic invoices) and use electronic timesheets, order forms and documents among colleagues and suppliers. For any paper you do use, make sure you are using recycled paper and recycling it where you can - it can make all the difference!
4. Tackle food waste in your workplace
Did you know that an estimated one third of food produced for human consumption is wasted globally, amounting to approximately 1.3 billion tonnes each year which contributes to 8-10% of manmade greenhouse gases?
Making a few simple changes can reduce this amount considerably, for example, sell off food from your workplace canteen at a discounted price at the end of the day to encourage people to purchase and save food from ending up in the bin. Also, ensure there are food waste compost bins in the canteen/staff room so that any food waste produced can be easily disposed of responsibly by employees!
5. Check your workplace cleaning products
Many cleaning liquids contain harsh chemicals which are not biodegradable and contaminate the environment and waterways with harmful substances. Not to mention the micro plastics which leak from sponges and cleaning cloths, and the heap of plastic bottles which comes with cleaning.
There are eco friendly cleaning products out there which are biodegradable and natural, reducing their impact on wildlife, and plant based sponges which are completely compostable! There are even many refillable cleaning products which reduce the amount of plastic bottles produced from cleaning. Check what products your workplace uses, and start trying some eco friendly alternatives!
Take a look at our Eco Cleaning Collection for more inspiration...
6. No car day
Set a day, maybe weekly or monthly, where your employees are encouraged to find alternatives to driving to work. Encouraging them to do this may encourage no-car travel to become their usual transport, and may lead to more eco conscious habits!
Make it even more fun by handing out prizes for the most interesting transport alternatives - pogo stick or penny farthing anyone?
7. Utilise Remote Working
The pandemic has seen a rise in the number of people working remotely, and perhaps has made businesses realise that working from home can really work!
Using video calls for conferences instead of travelling for physical meetings can reduce the harmful emissions produced from travel, particularly if meetings would otherwise be attended overseas.
Whilst complete remote working may not be possible for every business, increasing the amount of days of remote working per week can still make a huge difference.
8. Choose green energy suppliers
There are so many energy companies which supply sustainable and renewable energy; using solar, hydro and wind to produce power, and carbon offsetting to ensure your energy is completely clean. Some great affordable examples include Bulb, Pure Planet, Octopus Energy and Good Energy! Check who supplies your workplace energy and switch to a greener way of running your company - Such an easy change which can make a huge impact!