We all know that we should be doing more to save the planet; mounds of plastic in the oceans, deforestation, global warming and even certain animals at risk of extinction are all a direct result of the way us humans treat our environment. Most of us put in the effort in our homes and gardens to recycle, compost, use less energy and use less water- but what are you doing as a business owner? Businesses and industry are responsible for a huge amount of damage, pollution and environmental destruction that goes on so we each need to take responsibility. As the owner of a company, here are just a few of the ways you can go about it.
Buy Refillable Over Single Use Plastics
The topic of plastic is a big one at the moment, since this material takes hundreds of years to degrade we’re ending up with literally islands of washed up plastic in our oceans. It’s getting into our food chain, into our water systems and is generally causing a massive negative impact on the planet. Using less plastic is so important, and you can go about this by choosing refillable over single use. Think things like pens, cartridges and bags. If you sell items, either use recyclable paper bags or you could consider other eco friendly methods. Custom Earth Promos sell bags made of recyclable plastic, they’re also reusable and make for good brand promotion and marketing when customers reuse them too.
Recycle Carefully
The thing about recycling is that it needs to be done carefully. Even a small about of material that can’t be recycled can contaminate and entire bin meaning it ends up going to landfill or incinerators anyway. Find a company that rents or sells commercial recycling bins and use these properly, train staff how to use them too. This allows you to separate paper, metals, plastics and other materials so they can go off and be reused instead of damaging the environment further.
Choose Eco Friendly Suppliers
When we buy from businesses that are eco-friendly, it creates more of a demand for them. In time, more will be established and therefore our shopping habits can directly influence the way other companies take care of the environment. If you’re redecorating your workplace then choose paint with low VOC levels which won’t contribute to damaging the ozone layer. Choose furniture made from recycled materials or buy goods that are ethically sourced. By doing so, you know you’re doing your bit as a business owner.
Use Less Paper
Paper unlike plastic can be recycled, and trees can be grown when others are cut down. However, the process used to recycle paper does still contribute to pollution and so the less we can use the better. Since we live in such a digital world, there really is no need to send out so much paper these days. Instead of invoices, statements and paper receipts, look into emailing these instead. You could always have a paper option on there, but set digital as default. That way customers can request paper copies but only if they actually need them.
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