If you’re looking to reduce your SME’s impact on the environment, there are quite a few cost-effective strategies you can implement. You could invest in water treatment options, this enables your business to reuse the water from your office block or property for other purposes.
Depending on your industry, you could also look into treating industrial water waste and making use of this water for cleaning your equipment or for flushing office toilets. Speak to a treatment plant for professional advice.
Aside from using treated water in your business processes or for daily office life, there are other ways that you can become more eco-friendly. Here are some more top tips:
Have you gone paperless yet?
We live in a digital world, which means that communication now takes place via email and instant messenger services. This means that there is little need for printed memos and messages for your staff. You can go paperless for almost all of your communication now, reducing your impact on the forests and the rest of the natural environment.
Checking documents, filing, and even signing contracts and other items can all be done digitally or online now, which is highly efficient and also cost-effective. You will also find that clients prefer online and digital communication, rather than having to wade through mountains of paperwork for contracts. Ultimately, offering your clients a faster, more user-friendly option will also ensure they enjoy their experience with you.
Do you turn it off when it’s not in use?
Leaving computers, printers, appliances, and lights on in your office once the working day is finished has a significant impact on the world, especially if these items are left on for long periods of time. Not only are you using a lot of energy by doing this, but you are also racking up a hefty utility bill too.
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Turning off computers and other pieces of equipment when you go home will also extend their lifespan, as computers can easily overheat and some pieces of equipment could become worn out if they are constantly left on.
Top tip: You could install an energy meter in your office to see exactly how much electricity you use during the day and how to curb this.
Use eco-friendly cleaning products
Every office has to be cleaned, but what you clean it with can be terrible for the environment. You can opt to use environmentally friendly cleaning products, or look for cleaning products made with ingredients that are not harmful to the environment, such as treated water and organic materials.
You can also look into biodegradable cleaning equipment, such as reusable cloths for wiping down kitchen surfaces or handwash made from natural ingredients.
These options often also come in biodegradable packaging, further reducing your impact on the environment. You can also use glass containers for hand wash and cleaning liquids, to improve your offices eco-friendliness.
Is it time you conducted a water audit?
You can look into an industrial water audit for your business. This will tell you if there are any leaks in your pipes or if there are any taps that need to be fixed. It will also give you a clearer picture of how much water you’re using each month, enabling you to implement water-saving methods in your company.
A water audit can also tell you the quality of your water, especially if you are releasing any into the environment. You can then remedy this by using eco-friendly cleaning products or using effluent water treatments on the water to ensure it has been cleaned of all hazardous chemicals. The conservation of water is important for all businesses to keep in mind, no matter what industry you are in.
Reuse, reduce, and recycle
Reusing, reducing, and recycling your waste is one of the best ways to lower your impact on the environment. You can start by installing recycling bins in the kitchen for your employees, enabling them to throw away their plastics, glass, paper, and organic waste.
You can also look into purchasing gently used office furniture for your SME rather than brand new options, meaning that new items will not have to be made and your environmental impact will be less.
Encourage your staff to recycle too. You can make it a fun part of the office culture, hosting a competition for which team recycles the most and awarding the winners with a voucher for a restaurant or a coffee shop.
Recycling and reusing items help to reduce the waste you produce, and this will also look good to clients, since more consumers want to work with environmentally-friendly companies.
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