Going green is a shift that more and more businesses are committing to, and a change that a wide number of people are starting to care more about. It might matter to you, but it also matters to your market. People are proving that they’re willing to pay for products and services from companies that aim for sustainability. It may matter to members of your team, too, and aligning their values with company values can see them more engaged, motivated, and on-board with the brand’s direction. However, to get those benefits, you have to commit to growing a green culture. Here are a few ways to do that.
Watch your waste
The most crucial way to ensure that your whole team is on board with the green initiative is to create some hard policies on how you deal with waste. Starting a recycling program in the office, ensuring that there are plenty of different recycling stations for different kinds of reusable waste, and educating your staff on the importance of recycling is a great place to start. However, you should also look at manners of waste that your employees have less means of controlling. This might mean switching to more efficient HVAC systems, switching out the old faucets and toilets for water-saving alternatives, and more. If you want to really know how much you could be saving, you should consider hiring an independent waste audit of the office.
Make the big switch
What’s the switch we’re talking about? Making the move to paperless, of course. Paper is one of the most widely wasted resources in all of business. First of all, there’s the impact on the trees to consider, since that’s what paper is made of. However, too high a reliance on paper also costs you more than it should. It costs you both money and space for physical storage such as filing cabinets. Those costs can really rocket up when you look at printing costs, such as toner and ink. With Cloud storage, it’s even easier to reduce the footprint of all your document storage needs. It might not be possible to rely on digital copies of your most crucial documents, but you should avoid printing where and when you can.
Let it shine through your surroundings
While you’re talking the talk, it’s important to walk the walk. Your business’s premises, offices, and storefronts should be a visual reminder of the culture and image that you’re trying to create. As such, you should avoid heavily using materials that are inefficient to produce and have a higher cost on the environment. Thankfully, looks such as reclaimed wood tables are growing popular. It’s about more than just eco-friendly office furniture, you should also look into environmentally conscious office products, like reusable pens, switching to LED lamps, rechargeable batteries, and podless coffee makes to ensure that your office communicates green practices loudly and thoroughly.
Pair with like-minded partners
You might be putting plenty of effort into making your business processes as sustainable, reducing your impact on the environment as best as possible, but what about those who your business relies on? What about the service providers, vendors, and suppliers that you build your partnerships with? If you’re relying on wasteful partners, then your supply chain and the overall impact of your company on the environment might still be something that needs to be addressed. When choosing partners, ensure you’re looking at green and sustainable vendors and suppliers. If you’re dealing with wholesalers or distributors, consider the distance between you and them, as well. Choosing a green distributor too far away will only increase the carbon footprint of getting your products to them, or vice versa.
Collaborate and contribute
One of the reasons that partnering up with green vendors is important is that it is a public display of the green initiative that your brand is trying to highlight. But an even more direct way to do that is to partner up with nonprofits, with the green efforts to make the community a healthier place. Cause marketing is a great way of putting your money where your mouth is, getting you, your team, and your customers involved in something outside of the sake for profit. It’s a great way to build a place in the community for your business, as well.
If you’re serious about going green in your business, then you need to go beyond creating sustainable and efficient products. You need to echo green throughout, from décor to waste disposal to your links with green initiatives in the community.
