Improving sustainability in your office helps your business to protect the environment and meet government imposed environmental regulations while simultaneously cutting costs!
Regardless of the size of your business, it is essential to adopt sustainable practices in the workplace. While this is a lot easier than it once was, it shouldn’t be perceived as an all or nothing project. Becoming a sustainable company involves both small and large changes which contribute to an overall sustainable workplace. Here are a few of the ways to improve the sustainability of your office.
Ditch single-use plastics
Swap single use plastic cups and coffee cups for glasses and ceramic mugs. Also, ditch single-use cutlery and invest in the proper stuff! It can be difficult to remove all single-use plastic from the office as a lot of food and office supplies tends to arrive in plastic wrapping. However, if you aim to go completely single-use plastic free, it is possible to change your suppliers to vendors who deliver their products in eco-friendly packaging.
Reduce energy use in the office
Turning off devices/lights that are not in use can help save the environment and your pocket! When an employee leaves their workstation beyond a certain length of time, ask them to shut down their computer and switch off at the plug. You can also install automatic light sensors to ensure that the lights turn off even when the last one out forgets to switch it off! Not only can you encourage your employees to reduce their energy use while in the office, to further your sustainable work practices you can also switch to a green energy provider.
Encourage recycling
Ensure you have enough recycling facilities within your office – and make sure you clearly label them! Although it is important to implement a recycling programme, it is useless if your employees do not know what or what not to recycle. Politely educate your employees on the importance of recycling as well as what should be recycled and where each material needs to be disposed of within your office.
Offer a cycle-to-work scheme
Over the last 10 years, the government has been rolling out a cycle-to-work scheme which provides employees with the opportunity to buy a tax-free bike to cycle to work with. Employees can save a lot of money while simultaneously keeping fit and helping the environment. If you are thinking about offering a cycle-to-work scheme, it is important to provide the facilities that employees will need when cycling to work, such as secure bike racks and showers.
Introduce sustainable procurement
To improve your sustainability in the office, it is important to check your suppliers environmental policies and decide whether they meet your environmental policies. You may be able to influence your suppliers to improve their environmental credentials in order to retain your business. However, if your current suppliers do not meet your environmental and sustainability standards and are not willing to make changes, then it may be worth looking for alternative suppliers who follow sustainable practices.
Fill your office with plants
Indoor plants boosts oxygen in the atmosphere and absorbs human pollutants such as carbon dioxide. Not only are plants amazing for the environment and wonderful to look at, incorporating plants into your office can help to reduce stress, increase productivity and promote wellness!
Become paperless
Unless your company still operates using paper filing, this one is simple really… only print if you have to. If your company still largely relies on paper, it may be worth looking at digitising your processes. This will save you both time and money as digital processes and systems are more efficient and secure than using paper-led systems.
Measure your carbon footprint!
It is great to invest in sustainable working practices, but how will you know if it is working? Measuring your carbon footprint will allow you set a realistic carbon footprint target. Once you understand your company’s environmental impact, it becomes much easier to do something about it.
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