More and more people are starting to care about the environment, and this doesn’t just apply to individuals; businesses are also trying to be more eco-friendly. There are more green businesses in the UK than ever before, and it isn’t hard to see why. It helps the earth, people are more likely to buy from green businesses and there are even green tax relief schemes for small businesses.
Do you want your business to be more eco-friendly? Maybe you really care about the environment, or maybe it was a business New Year’s Resolution – either way, you want to start making changes.
If you can relate to this, we would love to help. Here are 5 ways to make your business more eco-friendly.
1. Work With Other Green Businesses
One simple way to make your business more eco-friendly is by working with green suppliers. Look for suppliers who have strong sustainability guidelines, and then ring them up to find out more about how they try to be sustainable. For instance, you could ask if they use plastic packaging or recycled packaging. This won’t take long to do, and it will have a huge impact on the amount of plastic waste and pollution created by your businesses.
2. Recycle Old Electronics
Do you have a printer that needs replacing, or old mobile phones that the business no longer uses? If so you could consider recycling them properly. Many people just put their old electronics in the bin, but this means that they can’t be recycled; they will just end up on landfill for years. However there are now lots of companies (such as Recycle Now) who can give you the name of an electronics recycling centre near to you. This means that the items will be disposed of properly, and you may even get paid for your troubles!
3. Use Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products
In the past the vast majority of cleaning products were harmful to the environment, but now there are hundreds of green cleaning products that are non-toxic. So consider swapping out your current window cleaners, hand and dish soap for non-toxic options. They may seem a little pricey to start off with, but the products are more concentrated so they normally last much longer than toxic cleaning products.
4. Encourage Green Thinking
It can also be useful to encourage green thinking in the workplace. Your employees are a big part of your business, and they will have a significant impact on how eco-friendly your business is. So consider arranging a green meeting where you can discuss the new sustainability guidelines you have set up so employees fully understand them. You could also set sustainably goals with prizes to celebrate individual successes; for instance, you could buy a bottle of wine for the employee who uses the least paper each month.
5. Plan A Fundraising Event
Finally you could arrange an eco-friendly fundraising event in your area. This is a great way to raise money for an environmental cause, and it will also do wonders for your image! So sit down and take some time to think about a green cause that matters to you; maybe you want to raise funding to create a new green space in your town, or maybe you want to plant trees at the local school. Once you have chosen a cause speak to local and online environmental campaigns about how to successfully plan the event.
