Businesses being environmentally friendly should be high on the agenda when it comes to their business responsibilities and priorities. Polluting air is contributing to global warming issues and wildlife. From a business point of view, it can help to reduce costs and it can also contribute to indoor air pollution within an office. One of the main reasons why employees fall sick in a workplace is due to the poor working conditions caused by poor air pollution. If you feel procedures haven’t been put in place yet, here are some smart ways businesses can reduce their carbon footprint.
Postage
Although there’s been a big rise in technology use for most modern businesses, the need for paper is still high in your workplace. If you specialise in a certain industry where letters and direct mail is still required, investment in paper is inevitable. However, there are reusable and eco-friendly envelopes available that help reduces the amount of spend on them. For example, reusables reverse so that any reply that’s required can still use the same envelope. This can be valuable for both customers and your business to help save on costs and reduce waste.
Energy
There are several ways a business can help to reduce the amount of energy used in their business, especially in their working environments and office spaces. Rather than using the standard energy sources to power the equipment on your employees' office desks, try alternative renewable energy sources such as solar power or plant matter. Try installing motion sensor lights or control the heat in your office space through windows rather than air conditioning. Even for larger companies that specialise in construction, energy efficient industrial ventilation systems are always available to provide a healthy working environment.
Office Supplies
The stocking of office supplies is a regular occurrence and most of the time quite unnecessarily. Pens alone are disposed of at alarming rates, causing offices to reinvest further funds into getting new ones. A solution would be to purchase refillable pens where inks can simply be replaced when they run out. Alternatively, hire an additional manager to monitor the stock cupboard and keep track of the stock supplies. This may seem a bit strict in some sense but just let your staff know that you wish to become environmentally friendly. As a result, they’re more likely to take ownership for the supplies.
Office Furniture
Office Furniture is constantly changed in office spaces as businesses look to cater their working environment to millennials in the modern day and age. This means dumping the old and investing in the new. Refurbishing projects can take a toll on the environment considering the majority of office furniture such as office chairs are thrown away to a landfill. However, much office furniture nowadays is made up of several materials that can be repurposed and recycled. Take wood office furniture as an example. It’s worth asking yourself whether it’s really worth dumping away old furniture when it can easily be reused to save costs and the environment.
Although these may not seem like drastic changes, any little improvement that’s made can have an huge impact on the environment in the long run. Businesses taking a stand can help to provide a better future and set an example all around. It’ll also make a great impression for those who acquire your services and needs. So why not get serious, get your team around your conference table and discuss ways you can help to provide towards a positive future.
On a seperate note.... if you want to discover more about your london office furniture options or just simply want some expert advice on office space planning, local showrooms around you, etc then feel free to get in touch with one of the trained specialists at Calibre Office Furniture.
Thank you for reading!
Guest post by: Jamie Costello, Creative Writer