How Your Business Can Be Kinder to the Environment

A growing number of companies are asking themselves how to change their business practices to reduce their impact on the environment. The benefit is twofold: businesses save money while working towards helping to preserve natural resources.   Going green does not require a complete overhaul of the entire business. A few simple changes can make a big difference. Here are five practices that can reduce a business’s impact on the environment:   Go Paperless   Switching to paperless business operations saves trees and the cost of restocking paper. Share documents via email and cloud-based networks instead of printing them out. Consider switching to a document management solution such as EDMS (electronic document management system) instead of storing paper documents in your office.   Invest in Recycling Bins   Encourage employees to recycle by strategically placing recycling bins around the office. Place a few in the kitchen and next to desks to make them easily accessible. Find creative ways to incentivise recycling. This could include something as simple as placing a basketball hoop above the paper bins so your employees can slam dunk their waste into the bin.   Encourage Remote Working   If your employees are able to work efficiently from home, you should encourage them to do so, even if it’s just a few days a week. This can reduce not only the company’s carbon footprint and operational expenses, but can also reduce your employer’s carbon emissions. By allowing employees to work from home, you reduce the amount of time they spend travelling from home to work and back, which significantly reduces their carbon footprint.   Recycle Electronics   When an electronic item reaches the end of its life cycle, there’s a good chance it will end up in a landfill. When it’s time to replace your old electronic items, look into how those items can be recycled. This can be done by donating the items to schools, charity organisations or to the manufacturer as part of their internal recycling programme. Some retailers also have recycling programmes that you can take advantage of, especially if your items are less than five years old. Before your devices are recycled, make sure you remove all data and have it stored on an online document management system.   Turn Off Electronics   There’s a good chance your office is filled with devices that use a massive amount of energy, even when they’re not being used. Encourage employees to switch off all their devices at the end of the day instead of just leaving them on standby.   Most modern entrepreneurs are just as interested in eco-friendly business practices as they are in the bottom line. Eco-friendly business practices lead to savings, which is more than enough incentive for any entrepreneur to make the leap.