It doesn’t matter what the size of your business it, what’s important is how you run it. Having the right environmental and green policies is important to consumers and clients, and not having them in place could be a reputational issue that costs you business. If you’re looking for ways to prepare your business for a more environmentally-friendly way of working, then you’ve come to the right place. Take a look at these things to consider for your business’ environmental future below, and here’s an excellent guide that was shared with us on Energy Efficiency For Small Business.
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Start with the basics
There are some green policies that you can implement immediately, that will make a huge difference to how you work. There are easy ways to make your office go ‘green,’ such as having recycling bins around the office, food waste receptacles and installing energy efficient lights will all be useful to your business and is something that staff can get on board with easily, without having to make too many drastic changes.
Set targets
Many businesses and organizations have found that the best way to properly go green is to set targets and to implement a public-facing strategy that sets out what you want your targets to be, and how you’re going to achieve them. Writing an environmental policy that is available to employees, stakeholders, and your customers will mean that you have to stick to it, and show that you’re serious about making a difference to the wider world.
Change who and what you work with
When putting your environmental policy together, you should critically assess the suppliers you work with and the products you use to see if they could be greener. Swapping to a more effective energy source from suppliers who care about their own energy and emissions targets (New Era Fuels are one company who are active with this), will help you develop better practices and contribute to wider change in your industry, and within business as a whole.
Go greener with cloud working
Cloud working is another way you can turn your business green. Doing away with paper, overheated, expensive servers and allowing employees to work remotely are all ways in which you can benefit from cloud working to make your technology greener and to adopt more modern ways of working – technology is the future after all. Cloud working has also been proven to be more cost-effective for businesses, and if you are a start up or rely on employees who work overseas in different time zones, the introduction of cloud computing could make your workplace much more efficient.
Having clear, visible green policies can make the difference between a consumer choosing your company over another – it’s that big a deal today. If you’re looking to set an example for your employees, remember that you should adopt green practices at home too. Simple adjustments to things like how you throw your trash away are all a key part of keeping our planet green and protecting it for future generations. We all have a duty to do it, but as a business leader, you can inspire others to do their part.
