Procuring your equipment and stock sustainably
From your paper to desks, stock to stationery supplies, do you know where your products are coming from and if they have been sourced sustainably? If the answer is no, it might be time to take a look at where your stock and equipment are coming from before you continue to purchase. Instead of buying new equipment each time you need a revamp or a new colleague joins, why not consider purchasing used office furniture instead? Having an expensive looking office doesn’t have to cost you the earth, and it shouldn’t be a detriment to the earth either.
The same goes for your paper and stationery supplies. Switch to deforestation-free paper and do your bit to help protect forests globally. Make sure you only purchase 100% of FSC certified paper to ensure you are not damaging the environment in any way. Once you have changed up your stationery cupboard, it’s time to look at your suppliers. Are you working with economically friendly suppliers who are doing their bit for the environment? If not, that could be detrimental to the hard sustainability work you are putting in.
Set and monitor your reduction targets
Consumers are looking for companies making a considerable effort to bring down their carbon footprint and keep finding ways of reducing it until they are completely sustainable. It’s no longer enough just to understand your carbon footprint and make a few changes to reduce it once or twice. You could start small and aim to reduce your travel emissions over the next two years as a business. You could also look into the energy you are using within your business and see what you can do to change this.
Your targets should be achievable but ambitious, so you stay ahead of the competition and show that you mean business about reducing your carbon footprint. Show your achievements publicly on your website and social media and prove you are dedicated to supporting and protecting the environment.
What sort of energy is your business using?
With rising energy prices having a severe hit on our business finances this year, there has never been a better time to stop and take stock of the energy we are using and how we are using it. It’s unfortunate that many office-based businesses are in older office blocks that don’t use environmentally friendly power to keep their businesses running. Switching to a green energy provider could end up saving your business a fortune, and as it’s 100% renewable, it is environmentally friendly. Prices for renewable energy are much lower than their traditional counterparts, and you will be doing your bit for the environment.
There are so many ways you could reduce your carbon footprint in the workplace, and not every step has to be a grand gesture to the environment. If many of us took smaller steps to protect the environment, we would lower our carbon footprint much quicker than just a few companies making significant changes. We wish you luck with your sustainable office and hope you can protect the environment in the future.