6 Ways Businesses Can Help Protect the Environment

 

Since the people that make up the labor force are getting younger, most of the jobs once held by retiring employees are taken over by millennials. One of the best ways to add younger people to your team is by adapting your business practices to embrace sustainability.

 

If you’re still starting your business, you might want to watch the video below to get a better idea of how to make your headquarters eco-friendlier.

 

Protecting the Planet

 

Conservation is a hot topic issue for today’s society, younger people are more concerned about protecting the environment since it will inevitably affect their future. So, they’re more likely to work for a company that aims to protect the environment.

 

Here are some of the strategies that you can use to make your business a significant contributor to the conservation of the environment:

 

1. Deliver Filtered Water

 

If you take a glance at your office, you’ll likely see several beverages at every desk. Although coffee is still popular, water is among the top drink among younger employees. However, the plastic bottles used to store them won’t quickly decompose and ultimately make their way to landfills, or in the worst-case scenarios, the ocean. You could place recycling bins in your working area, but it won’t reduce your company’s waste.

 

If you want your business to contribute in environment protection, you could require them to bring tumblers or issue a reusable cup for each employee when they join your team.

 

By having a water filtration system in your workplace, your workers have access to clean water right from the tap. But the materials used by your filtration system must be produced using eco-friendly manufacturing processes and are made of non-toxic materials. You could also add a water cooler to provide cold drinking water for all your staff throughout the working day.

 

2. Cut Back on Your Paper Waste

 

There’s been a growing trend toward going paperless in most companies in the past few years. So, if you still rely on paper for your day-to-day operations, younger people may be put off because most of them prefer doing everything digitally. Some of the things you can do to improve your business processes are:

encouraging your team to communicate through chat apps or email

avoiding printing draft documents

enabling your team to send documents to their personal devices to make reviewing them more streamlined

switching to a fax-to-email solution if you have a fax machine

 

Aside from reducing your waste, cutting back on paper use could also lessen your operating costs. You won’t only help in protecting the environment; you’ll also increase your business’ profit.

 

3. Use LED Lightbulbs

 

There’s now a more comprehensive range of options for lightbulbs in recent years. But they’re not made equally. Although there’s a law that mandates all lightbulbs to increase their energy efficiency, some are more effective in achieving this than others.

 

But why is energy efficiency important? Well, aside from reducing your electricity bills, it also reduces your business’ environmental impact by using less energy. Reducing your energy use is very important if you live in an area that relies more on fossil fuels to produce electricity.

 

Aside from being more energy-efficient, LED lightbulbs are also more cost-effective in the long run. You’ll end up replacing an incandescent bulb more often than their more environmental-friendly counterpart.

 

4. Allow Remote Working

 

Remote work, work from home, or telecommuting. Whatever you call it, it will help you to attract younger workers. Most millennials prefer to work with a company that offers flexible work arrangements, including working from home.

 

This setup has also seen a rise in popularity as most businesses have been avoiding face-to-face working arrangements because of the pandemic. So, more people now prefer working from home since it’s more convenient.

 

Aside from attracting more people, telecommuting could also help in protecting the environment. Since there are fewer people in the office, you’ll see reduced energy use which could lessen your energy costs and your carbon footprint. Your employees also won’t have to drive or commute to work which is also a great way to reduce their need to drive long distances.

 

5. Shut Down Computers

 

Keeping computers turned on or in sleep mode might seem trivial, but it’ll be a missed opportunity to reduce your energy consumption and costs. So, you should require your team to turn off their computers before they leave work.

 

Besides desktop computers, you should also ask someone to unplug other electronics like printers, photocopiers, etc., at the end of the working day.

 

6. Add Indoor Plants to Improve Your Office’s Air Quality

 

Although you might think taking care of plants in the office is not worth the time, it could have many benefits. One of their most apparent advantages is making your workplace more aesthetically pleasing. Having a few green plants scattered around the office can boost your employees’ mood. Another benefit indoor plants could bring is improving your office’s air quality.

 

Conclusion

 

Making your business eco-friendlier would reduce your carbon footprint and make your business more sustainable. But it would also make it more attractive for younger workers who are passionate about contributing to the protection of the environment. Also, since many of these strategies could help you reduce your operating expenses, they will help you achieve a healthier bottom line.