All business owners have a key role to play in decreasing pollution and greening the business. Depending on the size and the nature of the business you can change how goods are procured or manufactured. Moreover, technology can decrease the use of non-renewable sources of energy.
Every effort no matter how small a business may be can have a positive impact on the environment. Nowadays, there are many sustainable ways of manufacturing goods. If this is incorporated into business ideas, it could have an immense impact on the environment.
Pollution is a global crisis. This is not only harmful to the earth but also to human beings. Pollution, be it of air, water or soil, causes a lot of problems for ecology. If left uncontrolled, it will leave future generations without a place to call home.
Luckily, certain measures can be taken to reduce pollution. Statistics show that pollution has reduced in Europe over the last 26 years. This is a promising finding. As far as the Middle East is concerned, more sustainability efforts are needed for better results.
Here are other reasons why protecting the environment could be good for any company:
- Sustainability,
- Improving your brand image,
- Decreasing wastage of resources,
- Increasing customer conversion,
- Staying competitive,
- Attracting new talent.
A major problem that a business may face is waste disposal, especially, when it comes to equipment. To stay competitive, a company should try to use the latest equipment on the market. This means you have to discard equipment such as old computers. Most of the time such equipment will be dumped in landfills. This build-up of old equipment ends up causing pollution to the environment.
Another source of greenhouse gas emissions is energy consumption in a company. Office buildings can consume a lot of electricity and energy. Not switching off lights is a practice that causes increased consumption of energy. Poor handling of waste materials in an office also harms the environment.
Many offices fail to use renewable materials. For example, the use of disposable plastic cups is a popular practice in the office. Also, a lot of paper is used to print out documents. This is unnecessary sometimes, especially, in the digital age.
Here are some of the ways you can try to protect the environment as a small company:
1. Have a favorable attitude towards the environment
If you are going to take a step towards sustainability, then you have to start with a positive attitude. Understanding why you are doing this will keep you motivated throughout this journey. A favorable attitude will give you more inspiration.
2. Increase awareness
One of the best ways of protecting the environment is by educating others. Customer awareness can be a useful factor. Once more people know about environmental protection, more changes can be made.
Share with customers information about your commitment stories. Inform customers of the progress you make and all the measures that you are taking. In this way, you will be attracting more customers. Awareness also improves the image of your brand. So, it is an advantage for your business as well.
3. Adopt new technologies
Educating people about sustainability is not enough. You have to lead by example. So, you can adopt new technologies that could be more effective for the environment. Recently, there has been a surge in technologies that increase sustainability. These technologies ensure the production of goods by using sustainable materials. Adopting such technologies can have a great impact on the environment.
4. Use recyclable materials
Using recyclable materials is the best way to maintain your sustainability plan. Your customers are looking to you to see what they can do to protect the earth. Think of replacing non-renewable materials with renewable ones.
Try to restrict the use of materials that are harmful to the environment. You can start with small steps. An example would be, replacing plastic cups with mugs.
5. Analyze internal processes
You need to focus on measures that will help you maximize resources. Knowing how to manage your resources will benefit your business. As you will be cutting expenses, you can save a lot of revenue.
The above tips will help you to expand your business, decrease the creation of waste materials while also minimizing expenses in your company. Other ways you can apply to reduce wastage of materials include:
- Place recycle bins in your office,
- Encourage the use of materials that can be recycled,
- Turn lights off when they are not needed,
- Use mugs instead of disposable plastic cups,
- Decrease traveling so that less fuel is used,
- Use bicycles instead of cars to get to the workplace,
- Use a building made from renewable materials,
- Turn off all devices when they are not being used,
- Cut the use of paper in your office.
You can reduce the usage of paper by avoiding unnecessary printing and by using apps like Australian Writings in order to maintain documents and make notes.
6. Check your supply chain
Your sustainability practices do not only rely on the decisions that you take. You should also consider the source of materials and manufacturing of products. It is your duty to make sure that your supply chain is aware of these practices.
Your suppliers should also try to take measures that protect the environment. Supply chain means:
- How you get material,
- How goods are processed,
- How goods are distributed.
If you try all the above measures, you will have a positive influence on the environment. Your company will be contributing a lot towards environmental protection. Also, your manager or HR should conduct regular audits to make sure everyone observes the measures.
Voigue Pty Ltd has helped contribute to a clean environment as most of our employees work from home. With less of our employees traveling to work for five days of the week, we ensure flexibility and convenience too. Further, we adopt approaches that will help us go digital.
In conclusion, businesses have a huge role to play in protecting the environment. The smallest effort can go a long way, and a business has a way of influencing others to protect the environment. This joint effort can lead to decreased pollution and a safer and healthier planet earth.
