The most common narrative used around the business world, across the globe, is that businesses cannot be sustainable. We see examples of these in the form of corporations that are responsible for over 71% of the carbon emissions resulting in adverse global warming.
This narrative was challenged during the COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in worldwide lockdowns and shutting down of all factories. The corporate sector became entirely remote, and businesses were forced to take a more sustainable approach.
COVID-19 lockdowns stand as a testament to the fact that it is not difficult for businesses to be sustainable. Here are some ways businesses can be more sustainable:
1. Encourage Hybrid Work
Hybrid work is an incredible solution for modern businesses. It encourages both on-site and remote work. Firstly, this helps the corporations reserve energy in the form of the energy used to sustain on-site offices. Secondly, it reduces the carbon footprint of each employee who comes to work on-site.
This is also advantageous economically for the business as it saves money on the bills that they must pay for their offices being in use five days a week.
2. Solar Panel Installation
Solar panels are the most common sustainable investment of the present. They help you make your electricity, which significantly reduces your electricity bills. Though it is an expensive investment, it is wise to take professional advice and get a Solar Site Survey done for your business’s building.
The survey helps you to determine whether your building has enough sunlight to be a good investment for solar panels. This can save you tons of money as well.
3. Waste Disposal Through The 3 Rs
The 3 Rs of sustainability are Recycle, Reuse, and Reduce. These are the three fundamental steps to creating a sustainable environment and usually the most neglected ones. Companies claim that they do not have the time and resources for waste disposal.
Fortunately, there are now companies that do hazardous waste disposal for your business. They cover all three Rs and save your time, energy, and resources while taking up the dirty work. It cannot get easier than this to be sustainable.
4. Insulating Your Office Building
Insulation is a very sustainable way to preserve energy. It has a major influence on energy usage. Good insulation retains cool air during the summer and warmth during the winter which significantly reduces your energy bills.
5. Choosing LED light bulbs
Lighting is a major source of energy consumption for a commercial building. Replacing fluorescent lights with LEDs can help significantly with energy saving, as they produce more light, and use less energy.
You can conserve even more energy by not using any bulbs when natural sunlight is available by building more windows. This has also been shown to improve employee morale, as they do not feel boxed in a cage.
6. Encourage Sustainability amongst Employees
Educating your employees about your sustainable business strategies is quite important as it creates a work environment that is based on a mutual goal. In this way, the employees can employ sustainability tactics, personally and professionally.
This will also help connect people who believe in the same cause, especially when it comes to sustainability.
