The impact of climate change is becoming more evident every day, which means that businesses across all industries must take appropriate action toward a greener future. To make your business more sustainable, sometimes all you need is to introduce a few small changes to your daily work processes. This will help you demonstrate your commitment to combating climate change and improving sustainability. Within this guide, you will find eleven actions that can help your company mitigate the effects of climate change.
Switch To Electric Vehicles
Transitioning to electric vehicles can provide your business with a variety of financial and environmental benefits. It can greatly reduce transportation costs, particularly for fleet vehicles. While electric vehicles might be more expensive to buy, running costs are significantly lower than diesel or petrol. Therefore, if you want to get involved in innovative transport developments, electric vehicles might be the right choice for your business. This can also be an important part of demonstrating corporate social responsibility.
Increase Your Awareness
Learning more about the impact your actions can have on the environment can help you identify opportunities to improve environmental initiatives within your organisation. This online short course from the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership focuses on the risks and opportunities presented by climate change. It can give you a holistic, business understanding of overseeing a low-carbon transition. As a result, you will be equipped with the skills and knowledge to build a profitable and resilient business model. You will walk away with a low-carbon transition action plan, enabling you to lead change within your company.
Host Virtual Events
Virtual events can offer plenty of immediate and long-term advantages for your company. For example, not only can they save you valuable time, but they can also help you reach a wider audience. Thanks to the ease of recording and streaming an event, information can be easily managed. In comparison, in-person events require a lot of energy as a result of travelling to and from the event. Moreover, they tend to accrue a large amount of material waste, such as brochures, marketing materials, or name tags.
Switch To LED Lighting
LED lighting is one of the latest developments that can transform how organisations brighten their office spaces and facilities. This can lead to a reduction in the cost of electricity and overall energy use. One of the most important benefits to consider is that LED light bulbs tend to last longer. They are also cheaper to run, which makes them one of the best ways to make your office more energy-efficient. If you switch all your bulbs to LED, you are going to notice a difference in your energy bills. Additionally, they come in a wide range of colours to suit your décor.
Work With Sustainable Suppliers
While focusing on internal factors is great, there are also key external factors you shouldn’t overlook. For example, choosing sustainable suppliers and making better purchasing decisions are crucial to ensuring sustainability throughout the entire supply chain. This will also allow you to use products that use less energy, which will produce less waste and save you money. If you are working with businesses that are not doing anything or doing the bare minimum, to help the environment, you could be supporting unsustainable practices. When selecting suppliers, it is essential to confirm that sustainability is a top priority for them by looking at their credentials.
Reduce Your Waste
The way you manage your waste can have a significant impact on climate change. Think about how you can cut down on your waste, such as eliminating paper documents and transitioning to digital files. You can also encourage employees to be mindful of what they bring into the workplace every day. For example, it might be helpful to provide them with a reusable lunch bag along with Tupperware. As a result, they won’t need to bring their lunch in paper or plastic bags, reducing the amount of daily waste that typically accumulates in the office.
Choose Alternative Modes Of Transportation
Commuter journeys play a huge role in increasing greenhouse gas emissions. You may want to look for a few alternative modes of transportation, such as using public transport or riding a bike. Car sharing for business may also be another great option if many of your employees live in the same area. Thanks to improvements in video conferencing technology, it is now easier than ever to connect with colleagues around the world, eliminating the need to take frequent, long flights. You may also consider allowing employees to work from home at least one or two days a week.
Use Cloud-Based Services
Businesses of all sizes have turned to cloud computing, which provides energy- and resource-efficient solutions. These are two of the most important elements for developing a green IT approach. This means that you don’t need to spend huge amounts of money on buying and maintaining equipment. It essentially has unlimited capacity to store all types of data. You won’t even need large data teams to take care of your cloud data. Cloud computing also offers advanced security features, reducing the chance of data breaches and other cybercrimes.
Find Green Office Equipment
Using green office equipment can help you reduce your energy consumption. For example, when looking for kitchen appliances, such as fridges or dishwashers, choose ones that have a high energy efficiency rating. Always source environmentally friendly office supplies, such as recycled paper, eco-friendly pens, or solar USB chargers. It might be helpful to make a list of your most used office supplies and look for green alternatives. You may want to invest in smart heating and cooling systems, which are built to be naturally sustainable.
Measure Your Greenhouse Gas Emissions
To get a better perspective of your impact on the environment, you can also measure and analyse your greenhouse gas emissions. This will provide you with clear statistics of the amounts of emissions your business is releasing into the environment. It might be beneficial to work with certified agencies that specialise in measuring greenhouse gas emissions. Once you have measured your impact, you can identify the main activities that lead to these emissions. This can serve as guidance when establishing a plan to reduce your carbon footprint.
Discuss Your Efforts With Employees And Customers
Talking to your employees and customers about your action plan to tackle climate change will invite them to offer their suggestions and share their thoughts. It will also encourage your workers to get involved in improving sustainability. Their involvement is essential to ensuring that the whole organisation succeeds in saving energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Customers are also likely to respond well to your new sustainable practices and policies, as many people prefer to buy environmentally friendly products and services. When discussing your plans with employees and customers, remember to include ways in which they can support your efforts and make a positive difference in their personal lives as well.