The Eco-Essentials: Creating A Sustainable Office

With more consumers demanding environmentally friendly suppliers and services, optimizing your office for environmental sustainability is a step toward a bright future. Building an environmentally sustainable working environment doesn’t need to be difficult, or need to break the bank! In fact, going green can dramatically reduce your business costs and your environmental impact. Follow these simple tips for creating a sustainable office and protecting our environment.

Sustainable Suppliers

When it comes to creating a sustainable office, you’ve got to put your money where your mouth is. Have a close look at where your business spends the most money and your existing suppliers, and determine whether their practices align with your sustainability goals.

With many suppliers understanding that customers are seeking green options for their offices, there are always sustainable alternatives for your needs. See if your provider stocks biodegradable cleaning products or natural bathroom supplies. Partnering with an environmentally conscious printer ink supplier with ethical recycling programs in place for their customers is key to your office contributing to global sustainability goals. Before partnering with any supplier, ask whether they have an environmental policy in place, and whether they offer green alternatives.

Reduce Your Energy Footprint

A busy office with multiple machines running will churn through a considerable amount of energy annually. Reducing your electricity bill is not only good for your bottom line, but also incredibly beneficial for the environment.

Fortunately, there are a number of easy ways to make your business and your employees energy conscious. Install energy efficient light globes in the office and ensure that you switch off all appliances and technology at the end of the day. Purchase equipment that has energy star certifications and cut your energy usage significantly. In fact, most office machinery will come with handy settings to make this process automatic. For example, most modern printers will have automatic on/off technology. Utilize these features to become conscious of your energy use and watch your energy bills go down.

Green Team

Changing an office culture and making your employees environmentally office is a team effort.

Creating a ‘Green Team’ in your office is a great way of encouraging your team to implement new and environmentally-conscious procedures. Your Green Team will be responsible for identifying areas of improvement, monitoring excessive energy consumption and encouraging employees to be accountable for their practices.

Researchers have found that workplaces dedicated to environmental and social positivity have more efficient and happier employees. Creating a Green Team is therefore an effective way of transforming negative office culture and practices, and keeping your office sustainable into the future.

Reuse And Recycle

For many businesses, a paperless office is simply not a realistic option. Fortunately, there are many ways to ensure that your office does not negatively impact the environment. Implementing successful recycling policies and procedures within the office is an important step in this process.

First it is vital to conduct a ‘recycling audit’ within your office. This is simply an opportunity to determine which regular office items can be recycled, and whether your current procedures are environmentally friendly. This is a great opportunity to uncover weaknesses within your companies’ procedures, which may be costing you considerably each year. There are a number of easy ways to encourage paper recycling in your office. Place individual recycling boxes next to each desk and encourage employees to be wary of their paper usage. Research regular recycling collection with your local council, or partner with a local service provider who can ethically take care of your office waste.

Switching to green practices is good for the environment as well as for your business’ bottom line. Following these simple tips ensures that your business is sustainable for an eco-friendly future.