As the general public consensus continues to shift towards a greater environmental consciousness – a phenomenon being labeled ‘The Attenborough Effect’ – an increasing number of businesses are beginning to implement eco-friendly practices into their daily operations.
Today we’re taking a closer look at how we can introduce sustainability in office environments across the board. Ensuring your employees can begin to think with a greener mindset and minimize the environmental impact of your business.
Wave goodbye to paper
In today’s digital world, you’d be forgiven for assuming that paper has little place in the 21st-century office. On the contrary, the average worker still uses a shocking 10,000 sheets of copy paper each year, of which an average of 6,800 sheets wasted.
This has a significant impact on deforestation – causing pollution, and habitat destruction, all to the detriment of the wider environment. The alternatives to this over-indulgence in paper use offer not just a greener solution, but a more convenient one. Cloud storage solutions offer paperless storage that can be accessed across various digital platforms instantaneously. So wave goodbye to wading through filing cabinets and endless waiting on copy prints – and embrace the digital age…
Offer convenient alternatives
For many, one of the key drawbacks to environmentalism is convenience. While the majority believe in the cause, the fact of the matter is we’re still facing a major environmental and ecological crisis – meaning not enough people are putting thoughts into action. But with the ready convenience of many environmentally damaging options, from plastic bottles to cars, who can blame them?
To combat this issue, look to offer convenient eco-friendly alternatives around the office wherever possible. If your company’s office has a canteen, for example, opt for eco-friendly packaging for foods such as sandwiches, enabling your employees to make greener choices without even having to adjust their usual routine.
Elsewhere, eliminate the use of single-use plastic bottles through the installation of Bevi. A revolutionary smart water dispenser, the easy-to-use system provides still and sparkling water on demand, with a choice of flavors, meaning employees will ditch the store-bought water for a tastier and greener alternative. Bevi has saved over 100 million bottles and counting!
Promote green commuting
Cars are responsible for a mammoth 20% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions annually. As such, looking to promote a greener approach to commuting amongst your employees is a sure-fire way to reduce your company’s carbon footprint and get your employees into thinking more about environmentalism.
Of course, the best way of reducing carbon emissions is to travel via carbon-free means. Equip your office with a bike rack or sufficient storage space for your employees to safely store their bikes. This will enable employees living within reasonable distance to opt for a healthier, greener way of commuting.
For those that live further, look to promote a car-share scheme. Where employees who live close to each other can give each other rides to and from the office. Though not the greenest way of traveling, one car is ultimately better than two or more!
As evident, the implementation of sustainable practices in your business doesn’t require a complete overhaul of your daily operations. When all put together, little changes can go a long way in creating a greener future for us all.
Learn more tips and tricks to make your office more eco-friendly, in this article!
Jeff Gapinski
Back to top
