Every business owner understands their organization has a responsibility to care for planet Earth, but many are unfortunately choosing to ignore green practices. If you want your company to become more accountable to help preserve planet Earth, there are various actions you can take to develop an eco-friendly brand. Here are six ways businesses can protect the environment.

1. Reduce Paper Waste

Many businesses create a lot of waste. While this type of waste can depend on your company and industry, it is often things like paper and garbage. In fact, around 26% of the total waste in landfills is paper waste. This isn’t all from companies, but they generally create much more paper waste than residential households will.

While many companies have gone completely paperless, others still have a lot of work to do in that department. Some of the best ways to reduce paper waste are to store files online, use electronic documents and print things less often. In addition to less waste, these online solutions are generally easier and preferred for both employees and customers. Of course, any paper you do still need to use, make sure it gets recycled and isn’t simply tossed in with the rest of the garbage.

2. Use Efficient Light Bulbs

Keeping your office buildings well-lit is an important part of ensuring your employees can comfortably see and do their job. However, with potentially hundreds of light bulbs on for the better part of most days, these lights can use a ton of energy. Instead of using traditional bulbs, consider using energy-efficient LEDs.

3. Allow Telecommuting

Telecommuting will help your business attract millennials on multiple levels. Younger professionals have stated a clear preference for flexible work arrangements, including being allowed to work from home at least part of the time.

Revising your HR practices to allow telecommuting also has environmental benefits. You’ll be able to reduce the energy used in your office spaces each day, saving money and cutting your business’s carbon footprint. And you’ll reduce commuter traffic, even if by only a few employees.

4. Power Off Computers

If you think leaving appliances plugged in doesn’t make a difference, you may be missing a great opportunity to save money and conserve energy. The issue has been so well studied that it goes by multiple names. Vampire power, standby power, and electricity leaking are just three of them.

One way to reduce this unnecessary energy use is to make it mandatory for your employees to power down their computers before they leave the office. Identify any electronics in your workspaces that stay on overnight in standby mode, including printers and copiers, and assign someone to shut off those items at night.

5. Provide Employees with Filtered Water

It can be easy for many professionals to pick up a bottle of water on their way into the office. However, many people don’t know that plastic water bottles can take hundreds of years to decompose at a landfill.

In addition to providing recycling bins to help the bottles to decompose at a faster rate, you could provide filtered water and reusable cups, which can reduce their reliance on bottled water.

6. Reducing Waste

The idea of a circular economy, or an economy that is based on restoration and regeneration, is gaining traction. Companies can utilize this framework and reduce their environmental impact by using recycled materials for their products or purchase refurbished, rather than new, electronics. 

We have always emphasized the importance of having a good website for your company because it can act as your best tool for marketing and sales. A poorly designed website can repulse people from your business and can cause you to lose customers before you even have them. Get in touch with HyperEffects to work on creating, enhancing, and making the website of your company more user-friendly.