22 ways to have a greener business in 2022
In 2022, being an eco-friendly business is almost essential. COP26 highlighted the real threat of climate change and the need for everyone to play their part. The good news is that even small changes can make a difference, and if you want to go one step further, there is a plethora of information available and specialised businesses that can help develop your eco strategy. We have come up with 22 ways that you can implement greener practices into your business straight away.
- Switch it
Starting off easy! This is an obvious, but often overlooked way to save energy. If you wanted to go one step further, then switch to LEDs which can last up to 50,000 hours.
- Paperless is best
The average employee prints 10,000 pages a year which is a huge amount of paper. Considering most businesses worked remotely for a large part of 2020 and cloud computing allows effortless file sharing, printing can be reduced – with the added bonus of less cost to your business!
- Recycling ink
For the times when printing is unavoidable, you could consider recycling your old cartridges. Some recycling centres do accept them but companies such as the Recycling Factory will donate to charity each time they receive cartridges.
- Less is more when it comes to packaging
If you send products to your customers, how are you packaging items? Using recyclable materials and keeping it minimal will make a real difference.
- Sustainable office supplies
Making sure your office supplies are from sustainable sources reduces carbon emissions considerably, especially if you have a large space with many employees. Using specialist retailers like The Green Office can make life easier.
- Spread the right message with your marketing materials
If you create disposable, single use marketing materials then consider how you could reuse, repurpose, or switch to over a digital format. For the unavoidable printed literature that your business may need, consider the finishes. Glossy brochures and business cards look great but can be bad for the environment and difficult to recycle.
- The mains switch off
We’ve already mentioned lights but are you turning off electrical items or leaving them on standby? The jury is still out on whether computers use more energy booting up than when in sleep mode, but other appliances can be switched off overnight, at the mains to ensure maximum savings.
- Turn radiators down
Aim to turn down radiators as much as you can while keeping working conditions comfortable.
- Keep windows shut
If you are turning radiators down, make sure to keep as much heat in a possible by closing windows and insulating where possible
- Heat loss survey
Find out how efficient your office or building is at retaining heat and make any necessary changes.
- Business carbon audit
Call in the professionals for a full overview of where your eco-strategy is lacking with a carbon footprint audit.
- Sharing is caring
Encourage employees to share rides into work if they live near one another. This will save use of petrol and decrease congestion on the roads.
- Working from home
Allowing employees to work from home can reduce fuel usage and carbon emissions.
- Cycle to work scheme
Cycle to work schemes are easy to set up and provide an incentive for employees to get active and leave the car at home.
- Meet virtually where possible
If you can meet online, then aim to avoid travelling as we know virtual meetings can work well in most situations.
- Renewable energy
If you have permission, you can save over 900kg of CO2 per year by switching to solar panels. Capital Space have solar panels installed at six of our nine business centres to help support our customer’s green efforts!
- Recycling made easy
The more accessible and easily identifiable your office recycling areas are the more chance people will use them.
- Composting to minimise methane
A way to prevent waste from ending up in landfill is by composting. This allows the items to decay quicker and become soil rather than emit methane.
- Assess eco credentials of suppliers and partners
Partnering with fellow eco-friendly businesses will further increase your commitment to reducing your carbon footprint.
- Tree planting
Planting trees can begin to offset our carbon emissions. Our customers Red Giraffe in Milton Keynes use MoreTrees to automatically plant a tree when they send invoices. Read more about that here.
- Save water
Leaking taps can waste large amounts of water- as much as a litre each hour. You can ask a plumbing expert to review your office for wastage.
- Second hand should be first choice
Buying new requires manufacturing, transportation, and energy to deliver your product. Picking up office furniture from second hand shops or just repurposing old pieces is far kinder to the environment.
Capital Space are always striving to become more eco-friendly, and we encourage our customers to be too.
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