How to Make Your Company More Sustainable to Protect the Environment

What can you do in your company to save the environment?

More and more companies are developing green business models to make their brand more sustainable. Taking commitments to protect the environment is the foundation of any effective Corporate Social Responsibility strategy. Furthermore, adopting solutions focused on the use of renewable energy, bio-ecological materials and textiles, reducing consumption and waste within workspaces to concretely help the environment, also improves the perception potential clients have of the company and attracts those more sensitive to sustainability issues. A choice that can help you differentiate yourself from the competition.

Where to start?

First of all, making your company an example of sustainability is not possible without the involvement and active participation of all employees. Corporate sustainability is achieved not only by making production operations more sustainable but also through good practices. In the past, many companies limited themselves to informing – through seminars and meetings – on complex topics such as sustainability, climate change, renewable energy, and waste sorting. But today this is no longer enough. Being sustainable means adopting more ethical and environmentally respectful lifestyles as individuals and as a company, integrating these habits into daily work, involving every aspect of your activity. Want to know how to make your company more sustainable? Here are 4 practical tips you can implement.

Changing office habits

It may seem trivial, yet many incorrect behaviors in the office, if changed, can bring benefits to the environment and savings for the company.

Paperless office

Computers are essential for office work since almost all operations today are automated. For this reason, many companies have adopted a paperless approach, minimizing paper use by maximising digital devices such as computers, tablets, and smartphones. And if paper use cannot be avoided? You can opt for purchasing recycled eco-friendly paper or reusing old sheets written on only one side. Good habits are not limited to the office; common areas such as the meeting room and bathroom can also become paperless. In the meeting room, you might install a digital or magnetic whiteboard instead of the classic flipchart. In the bathroom, you could replace traditional paper dispensers with electric hand dryers.

Implement waste sorting

You could provide containers inside the offices and common areas for separate waste collection, preferably one for organic waste, one for plastics, one for glass and cans, one for paper, and a small container for non-recyclable materials (residual waste). Initially, employees might greet the change with some hesitation, but over time they will get accustomed to the new routine and carry it outside the office as well.

Eliminate plastic

Plastic is a real problem for the environment. It is essential to reduce its use as much as possible. Many alternative materials exist, and there are various ways to do without plastic, for example you might:

• eliminate single-use plastic: no more plastic cups, plates, cutlery
• encourage the use of reusable bottles and glass cups
• use recyclable containers for lunch if your staff brings food from home, such as fabric bags and fabric bags, and why not, you could create customised cotton or other recyclable material lunch bags to gift your staff
• eliminate plastic bottles by encouraging employees to use water fountains and taps

Reducing energy consumption in the company

Along with plastic, energy consumption and CO2 emissions are also damaging to the environment. Your company can take action on this. To reduce energy consumption, you could use LED lighting, which is increasingly widespread due to its much longer lifespan compared to halogen bulbs and lower energy requirements. Also, reducing printer use or putting the PC on standby during lunch breaks can have positive effects in the long term, both in terms of consumption reduction and cost savings on bills.

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Adopting solutions to reduce CO2 emissions

Reducing CO2 emissions requires some investments, but in the long term positive results can also be seen in the satisfaction level of collaborators, because knowing that the company they belong to is attentive to the environment and sustainability can increase motivation and sense of belonging.

How to contain carbon dioxide emissions?

There are many possibilities. Here are some examples:

• Insulating workspaces
  To reduce CO2 emissions, if you haven’t already done so, you could invest in thermal insulation covering that limits heat dispersion. This way you could maintain a comfortable temperature in both winter and summer, reducing air conditioning use and emissions.
• Smart Working, car sharing, and incentives for cycling or public transport use
  Many of us use cars to get to work, which negatively impacts air pollution. You could provide your employees with incentives for bike purchase or public transport subscriptions, or promote Smart Working. Even working from home one day a week can help reduce pollution and optimise water, heating, and electricity consumption in your company.

And then there is packaging. Packaging is an environmental problem because plastic is often preferred though it is not always recycled and is severely damaging marine ecosystems. Today there are many much more ecological and natural alternatives that reduce the environmental impact of packaging such as natural cotton, jute, juco, hemp.

Communicating your commitment to sustainability by organising corporate events and roundtables

Some companies demonstrate their commitment to the environment through projects and events to spread accurate knowledge about environmental issues, encourage cooperation among companies, and promote active employee participation. If you plan to organise a corporate event for your business, you could seize the opportunity to show your attention to the environment. Corporate events are a good introduction and an integral part of the company’s branding strategy, as they allow the company to communicate its mission concretely by demonstrating how it organises production and offices to reduce environmental impact.