Sustainability is far more of a legal requirement these days than purely a moral obligation and as such, regardless of how large or small your company is, transforming your business processes and practices to more sustainable ones is imperative.
With this in mind, continue reading to discover a handy guide to making your small business more eco-friendly as you move forward into the future.
Your Delivery Methods
One large difference which smaller businesses can make to not only substantially reduce their own carbon footprint, but also the carbon footprint of other businesses in the chain is by paying attention to delivery methods.
Naturally, if your company provides a service rather than a product, then this may well be less applicable, but ensuring your shipping practices are as green as possible is incredibly important. Use packaging which safely transports the product but is not excessively large, offer combined shipping options and avoid the use of plastics as much as possible.
Your Paperwork
When it comes to your office paperwork, as well as your advertising methods and newsletters, your small business should demonstrate a greener initiative by only using, or indeed investing in, wholly green printing methods.
Choose reputable and renowned companies who can offer paper and other printed materials which are not only delivered to you in the most environmentally friendly way possible, but also look into the methods and processes you use to try and reduce waste as much as feasibly possible.
Your Working Environment
If your small business is currently based and entirely operating from your home, then going greener will also serve to reduce your personal carbon footprint as well as your professional one and either way, there are plenty of ways to make small yet effective changes.
When it comes to the lighting in your workspace, you could think about replacing overhead lighting with more sustainable LED lighting, adjusting the temperature of your thermostat, using a cleaning service which promotes eco-friendly working habits and recycling wherever possible.
Start Giving Back!
Charitable donations, whether this is lending your small company’s name to a charitable function or fun run, for example, is a fantastic and admirable way for your small business to give back to the local community.
You could consider offering, for every ten or twenty of your products that you sell, to arrange for a tree to be planted in a certain area, start to donate even a small percentage of your annual profits to a charity, or proactively arrange a fundraiser yourself.
Your Materials & Equipment
Obviously, regardless of the industry in which your small business operates, you’ll undoubtedly need to utilize computers and associated technologies, but there’s certainly other ways to make the equipment and materials your company uses more environmentally friendly.
Only use cardboard which has been previously recycled, choose starch-based or compostable packaging and only ever send your products in biodegradable postage bags. Additionally, wherever possible, try to avoid the use of Styrofoam, bubble-wrap and plastic cushioning and wraps.
