The environment is important and it’s all of our responsibility to take care of it. If you want to do your part as a small business owner, then perhaps aiming to run an eco friendly business is a great idea for you!
There are a ton of ways that you can run an eco friendly business, from keeping your records digital, being careful about your packaging and donating where you can. Looking for some great tips, here are my favourites:
Go Digital
Filing cabinets and paper print-offs are a thing of the past. If you’re looking to run an eco-friendly business keep all of your records digital. Digital storage is fairly cheap and using a search engine is easier than picking through a bunch of files. So choose green and get easy thrown in! You can find examples of sustainable businesses online (for example, you can get it here), and it may help you run your eco-friendly business.
Throw it in the Donation Bin
Instead of tossing things out, where appropriate, use the donation bin instead of the trash can. Your eco friendly business should focus on reducing your trash output and one of the best and most community-oriented ways to do that is through donation.
If you just upgraded your office chairs to be ergonomic, then consider donating your old ones to a local community center or job agency. Likewise, just because you ditched your old electronics does not mean you need to throw them out!
Be Wise About Your Water
Running an eco friendly business means being careful about your water usage. Where possible go with efficient toilets and make sure to check that you don’t have leaky taps. There’s no need to go overboard when it comes to using water, conservation is cool!
Invest in Your Community
While it seems to be a strange choice for an eco friendly business, investing in your community can be a great way to be green.
If you’re specifically looking to be an environmentally friendly company, aim to support local green initiatives. Great examples can be programs reducing plastic bags or water bottles or even student green projects!
Go With an Eco Friendly Office Space
If you’re aiming for a business that’s eco friendly and happen to have a physical office (as opposed to a remote workplace), consider an environmentally friendly office space.
Aim to rent from building management companies that have environmentally friendly mandates and run properly fitted buildings. Pay attention to what kind of HVAC system they have because that’s often what takes up the majority of the building’s energy.
Pick Sustainable Packaging
If your business uses packaging for your products, then stick with sustainable packaging. A ton of waste is built into packaging, so your eco friendly business should be careful about what kind of packaging you go with.
Avoid things like styrofoam, multi-layered packaging or non-recyclable materials. Instead, aim for plant-based and biodegradable plastics.
What do you do make your business eco friendly? Share your tips and tricks in the comments below!
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Tae started out as a journalist before following the money into the corporate world. But it turns out that the grass isn’t always greener and now you can find her spending most of her time writing about all the things she loves. Namely, money, travel and business with a hefty dose of self-deprecating humor. She is a podcast fanatic, blogging aficionado and loves to find new ways to turn passions into cold hard cash!
