Over the last couple of years, the business world made some pretty big steps in the green and eco-friendly direction. You shouldn’t look at that as too much of a surprise, though. Sure, our society is adopting an increasingly altruistic attitude. But, a high carbon footprint in your business is not only an indicator of poor environmental consciousness. We can see a high carbon footprint as a direct result of poorly managed operations and needless energy and material expenses. You should reduce the carbon footprint of your business for not only the environmental benefits but also to make your company leaner and more efficient along the way. You also set up foundations for scoring some very easy PR points.
Let us then take a look at some of the ways you can reduce your business carbon footprint most effectively.
1 Encourage a sustainable and environmentally responsible climate
In other words, if you want your initiatives to be effective, you need to make sure everyone’s on board. Otherwise, new actions and regulations will fall on deaf ears and your workers will ignore them. So, put your workers through a series of workshops and seminars where they will get to know the importance of environmentally responsible conduct.
Even more important, they should learn how these measures benefit your organization and their well-being. This educated workforce may, at some point, even take independent actions and find new ways to reduce their carbon footprint.
2 Automate the company’s appliances and systems
Even though we don’t pay attention to these things they tend to waste tons of valuable energy. Sure, you can constantly try to readjust their performance but this task is very taxing. Even more so, keeping in mind that contemporary IoT-powered equipment can easily do this job on its own.
Just, look at the HVAC systems. Turning the thermostat from seven to ten degrees can save as much as 10% of energy per annum. The same results can be achieved with other big energy consumers. So, use the automation options to the fullest level and let these systems find their optimal performance.
3 Incentivize responsible behaviour and green initiatives
You can offer these incentives in the form of bonuses, free days, or an option of flexible work hours. But, in either of these cases, responsible behaviour and green initiatives must be rewarded to take stronger root.
Also, remember that workers put much more effort into initiatives they have direct ownership over. Try then forming an employee-run committee with the sole purpose of reduction of carbon footprint. This body will prose new green measures and oversee the implementation of the pending. This way, you will strongly motivate your workers to take these initiatives more seriously.
4 Use third-party services
The fewer business-related processes you keep in-house, the less carbon footprint you will produce along the way. Also, companies that have a high level of specialization in some fields will be able to perform their tasks with great efficiency.
They will use less time, energy, and resources than your hastily put-together in-house teams. Take for instance property maintenance. Some of the professional handyman services will get this chore done much faster and with eco-friendly cleaning products. All the while, you are keeping your core business processes simple, streamlined, and highly sustainable.
5 Take care of the lighting
According to recent research, about 17% of all energy consumed in US commercial buildings comes from lighting. So, if you want to reduce the carbon footprint of your business this makes a good place to start. First, replace the traditional incandescent lighting fixtures with more contemporary LED and CFL alternatives.
The latter two options will cut energy consumption up to a hefty 90%. Also, you should arrange your offices to maximize the use of natural light that is healthier and effectively free. You can largely help this effort by scheduling the shifts so they can use the brightest day hours.
6 Offer telecommuting and remote work options
Much like other examples, we have covered in this article, this move will have two-fold benefits. Of course, we should start with the environmental topics. By moving the positions that are not critical on-site can be easily reassigned to remote work where they will produce a smaller carbon footprint. At the same time, your premises will become leaner and more sustainable.
On the other hand, the new generations of workers, above anything else, appreciate good work-life balance. Offering them an option to work from home will improve their satisfaction and help them reach better work results.
7 Reuse, recycle, and reduce waste
The options for implementing these measures are truly countless. Start with something simple like making your employees switch to reusable cutlery, dishes, and glasses. Instead of paper documents try using digital alternatives and moving to more sustainable Cloud services.
Make sure the office material is not wasted by issuing only the limited supplies necessary for optimal work performance. If you want to take more proactive steps, you can even invest in basic recycling equipment. You will make material preservation simpler and potentially open a very lucrative new revenue stream.
8 Support like-minded companies
Last but least, we would like to remind you that a sustainable society can not be made by a singular effort. If you want to make a true change you should support the companies that share your goals in terms of reducing carbon footprint.
Be sure then to get in touch with suppliers that have a reputation for sustainable and fair-trade practices. As time goes by, these initiatives will gradually transition from isolated efforts to local industry norms. Of course, shared environmental vision also opens the doors for lucrative business opportunities. Joint investments and cross-marketing are only some examples.
We hope these couple of tips gave you a general idea about the way to reduce your company’s carbon footprint. Of course, this is only the tip of the iceberg and the options you have on the table are truly limitless. But, even this limited insight should nudge you in the right direction. And from that point on, every effort you make can only push you forward. So, roll up your sleeves and start the fight for a lower carbon footprint right now.
