As more businesses become conscious of the environment and the impact their daily operations can have on it, you might be considering how you can make your business more eco-friendly. You may think it will cost you loads of money to implement changes that will make a difference, but did you know it’s actually the little things that can have the biggest impact? Here are some top tips on how you can make your business more environmentally friendly.
Change Up Your Packaging
One easy way to be more eco-friendly is to change the type of packaging that you use day-to-day. For example, try switching your plastic bags to kraft paper bags instead. Not only do they provide a great service to your customers, but they’re easily recycled and made from more sustainable materials. If a plastic bag can be recycled, it normally needs to be taken to a separate plant to be treated. Whereas paper bags can be put into your regular recycling and take less energy to be processed. Changing your packaging can be a small, but significant change.
Use Natural Lighting
Most businesses will invest in gorgeous artificial lighting which looks amazing, but it can actually be an unnecessary expense. Try to make use of the natural lighting that your building has, especially in the Summer. Not only will you cut the costs of your energy bill, but you’ll help the environment by using less of it in the long run.
Save Heat And Keep Cool
Having air conditioning can be wonderful on hot summer days, but the amount of energy they use up can be really damaging to the environment. Instead of purely relying on air-con, try keeping doors and windows open to make use of the natural breeze. Allowing more fresh air into the building will help keep it ventilated too. Similarly, when it’s colder, don’t whack the central heating all the way up. Try keeping it at a comfortable temperature, but make sure that doors and windows are kept shut. You might want to check the building for any drafts as well, as this will reduce the temperature and cause you to turn the heat up. Reducing the amount of energy your business uses for heating and cooling is one of the best ways to improve your carbon footprint.
Cut Down On Paper
Another easy way to become more environmentally friendly is to stop using so much paper. Although paper is easily recycled, it still takes energy to do so. Using paper bags is better than using plastic ones, but you still don’t want to be using mountains of paper where it’s not necessary. For instance, try becoming paperless and only offer digital receipts. Most people do their banking online, anyway, so why not get with the digital times and remove the need for paper receipts altogether.
Use Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products
Most generic cleaning products contain numerous chemicals that actually harm the environment when they end up in the water system and ground. Over time, this can damage the ecosystem and cause issues within nature. If you don’t have time to make your own natural solutions, there are plenty of companies that offer ready-made and is recyclable or reusable bottles.
Becoming an eco-friendly business doesn’t have to be difficult, nor do you need to make drastic changes that will be hard to implement. Instead, make smaller changes to the things that have the largest impact on the environment, like the energy that your business uses and the packaging that you provide. By adopting these areas of your business and using sustainable options, you’ll be environmentally friendly in no time at all.
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