Beyond keeping the lights on and making sure their clients are happy, modern businesses have a big responsibility on their hands: to reduce their carbon footprint and make future-forward decisions.
Why make the effort to adopt eco-friendly practices? These days, having an environmental conscience makes all the difference. Employees want to work for a company that takes its impact to heart, and customers are outright demanding it.
The good news is, it's easy to start making small but important changes as early as … right now! Here are a few of our favorite solutions for companies that want to reduce their carbon footprint without overhauling their entire business.
Waste not, want not The best way to minimize your carbon footprint is to reduce your consumption. The second-best way is to reuse what you've got in order to minimize waste. Here are a few questions to guide your optimization.
How much packaging are we using to ship our products? Are we overdoing it?
Do we really need to print so many documents? Whenever we do print, can we make it a policy to use both sides?
Can we go entirely (or almost entirely) paperless by adopting an eSignature solution?
Do we recycle ? If not, does our building offer the service, and can we join the program?
When we update our office equipment , where does it go? If it's still usable, can we donate it to a charity or nonprofit? If it is not, are we sending it to an electronics recycling service?
Cut down on energy consumption This bit of advice comes with the added bonus of reducing your energy bill at the end of the month. If your office equipment is starting to show signs of age, why not replace it with energy-efficient upgrades?
From computers and LCD monitors to lighting and routers, nearly every corner of your workspace can be outfitted with equipment that either consumes less energy or optimally distributes the energy you're already using (like energy-efficient windows).
At the end of the workday, and especially if you're going on an extended break, be sure to unplug your devices – they still consume power even if they're not in active use! You can even plug your desk equipment into multi-socket extension leads, which makes it easier to turn everything off at once.
Similarly, at the end of the day, turn down your heating or cooling so it's not working overtime while nobody is around. Then, the first person who arrives in the morning can turn it right back up.
Optimize your fuel usage It's increasingly common for businesses to incentivize sustainable travel (i.e. anything other than driving to work). Many companies subsidize items like bus passes and bike-share subscriptions – you can even implement a monthly "step contest" to encourage employees to walk to work! Larger companies can also organize carpooling and ride-sharing programs between teams and departments, because you never know who might live just down the road.
If your workplace has a fleet of vehicles, consider using the most energy-efficient models possible. Electric cars are the gold standard in this case, but fuel-efficient cars will also help you save big on gas expenses.
Buy from earth-minded companies More and more vendors are committing to adopting eco-friendly practices (just like these!). From the soap in your dispensers to the logistics company that delivers your inventory, choose to partner with sustainable suppliers whenever possible and procure products that come with a legitimate eco-label .
For example, major document shredding provider Shred-it has made its truck fleet more environmentally friendly by adopting technologies that help reduce emissions and fuel consumption!
Take the first step today Signeasy makes it simple to hit your paperless goals and take your document workflows online. Start your 14-day free trial today to find out why we consistently receive top marks for our ease of use, ease of adoption, and customer care.
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