Making Your Small Business More Sustainable: Top Tips
When starting a small business, take a look at these ten ways you can make your process more sustainable.
Start by looking into what makes your company unique.
What sets you apart from competitors? How do you want people to perceive your brand? Do you offer any special services or benefits to your clients? If so, how can those features contribute to your overall mission statement?
Look into your supply chain.
Who provides your raw material? Where did they get them? Are there any issues regarding labour rights, child labour laws, etc.? Are they made with recyclable, renewable, and/or biodegradable materials? You can use recycled materials for almost anything now, including recycled business card printing.
Go with biodegradable packaging
If you’re looking to reduce your carbon footprint, consider using a compostable or biodegradable container instead of plastic ones. These are made from plant-based material such as cornstarch, wheat straw, paper, etc., which breaks down in the environment within weeks or months. They can be used over and over again without any harm to our planet.
Consider your delivery options
With many businesses expanding into deliveries during the pandemic, this may be a new area of your business to evaluate and determine if it is as sustainable as it can be. Can you make your deliveries more environmentally friendly by clustering multiple orders together or providing bulk deliveries? Could you afford an electric vehicle, or even a bike, if the majority of your deliveries are local?
vLook at your business premises
We are all familiar with the energy efficiency ratings of our homes, but what about the energy efficiency of your work premises if you work in one? If you own your building, you may be able to obtain grants and funding to help recoup the cost of these modifications. If you are a tenant, speak with your landlord to see if they are willing to make any changes.
Consider your processes
What steps can you take in your day-to-day business operations to reduce your energy usage? This is an important first step toward becoming a green business, and it can also save you money on energy bills. Things that you might want to look at include:
- Turning off equipment when they are not in use
- Reduce the temperature.
- Maintain and improve the efficiency of your equipment.
- Holding meetings online instead of travelling to physical locations
- Recycle all of the waste that you can
Switch to cloud computing where possible
The use of the cloud such as Google Drive, Microsoft Office, and Apple iCloud enables employees to share and access information from anywhere, and it can help your small business save money on travel, carbon emissions, and printing.
Because company data is hosted in the cloud, there is no need for your company to purchase and maintain costly, power-intensive servers.
Encourage your employees
Green challenges can be a fun way to motivate your employees to be more environmentally conscious. You could, for example, challenge your employees to go a month without using any plastic cutlery or single-use bottles, and then reward those who complete the challenge with small prizes.
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