The Environmental Crisis: What Can Small Businesses Do To Help?

Climatic change and environmental degradation are points of concern to everyone. Most small businesses do believe their company has little effect on the environment. Unfortunately, your customers don't share your perspective. Consumers are starting to show they care about environmental issues by purchasing environmentally friendly products.

As consumers become more aware of climate change and its implications, they are shifting their purchasing patterns, making it imperative for companies of all kinds to assess customer opinion regularly. Sustainable businesses have a greater chance of gaining customers, and shoppers will adjust their habits accordingly to lessen their influence on the environment. Here's how your business can contribute to reducing the environmental crisis. 

Employ Green Transportation 

Approximately one-fourth of all greenhouse gas emissions come from the transportation sector, so governments are enacting measures to decarbonise travel. Get a jump start by ditching your automobile in favour of foot or bike travel. If you have to go long distances, it's best to use public transportation, particularly electric vehicles. It would be helpful to reduce the number of vehicles on the road, so if you have to drive, consider offering to carpool with others. It's time to be ahead of the curve; therefore, invest in an electric vehicle. 

Employing remote workers also reduces the need for transportation. The number of businesses that permit employees to conduct their jobs remotely has increased in recent years, but there are still those that do not. Organisations may simply reduce their carbon footprints by enabling employees to work remotely, full-time or sometimes. Reduced staff should lead to a significant decline in the office's energy use.

Having fewer employees drive to work also means your organisation will produce fewer pollutants. It will help the environment if more people can work from home. You may even consider relocating to a less expensive and more compact workplace.

Drink Filtered Water

Bottled water is common among business workers. However, this is a huge contributing factor to the environmental crisis. The plastic water bottles that end up in landfills might remain there for hundreds of years before breaking down completely. Providing recycling bins is excellent, but the most effective way to conserve the environment is to first decrease waste, repurpose items, and then recycle what remains. Drinking filtered water helps your business reduce waste from plastic bottles, which may result in environmental pollution. 

Filtering the water supply means that the water is clean and safe to drink. To ensure that your staff members have access to clean, cold water at all times, you may also want to consider installing water coolers and paying for a water cooler service.

Purchase Refurbished Computers For Business

Electronic garbage, sometimes known as e-waste, is one of the fastest-growing waste sources worldwide and in the UK. Brands in the electronics industry are increasingly releasing new models with improved specs, and consumers are upgrading to these products in droves. This results in perfectly functional computers being discarded into landfills. 

Even though it may come as a surprise, electronic devices like computers and laptops contain several harmful substances and components that can seriously damage the environment if not disposed of and recycled appropriately. As these electronics accumulate, toxic substances like mercury, lead, and beryllium will seep into the ground. If these pollutants find their way into nearby water supplies, they might have a negative impact on the local environment and its inhabitants. Therefore, you should buy Refurbished electronics, computers and monitors from a trustworthy vendor like RefreshedByUs.com. This way, you not only have a durable device but also contribute less to the growing e-waste problem by keeping desktops and laptops out of landfills. 

Go Paperless 

Many companies have made considerable steps toward a paperless office in recent years. But most small businesses still have a long way to go. Begin by encouraging electronic reviews of emails and draft papers rather than printing them out. You should also take stock of your business operations, replace old procedures, and go digital. Take conscious efforts to stop manual information entry on paper and use cloud technologies.  

Use Eco-friendly Light Bulbs 

Maintaining enough lighting in workplaces is crucial for worker safety and productivity. On the other hand, having hundreds of light bulbs might significantly drain energy resources. Consider switching to LED lights instead of incandescent bulbs to save money on your energy bill. Because they consume less power, LED lights help save expenses as well. The amount of energy your business uses can become less significant with one simple adjustment.

Recycle Business Waste 

While many individuals will go to great lengths to divert recyclables from landfills, others may simply throw them away in whichever trash can is around. Having recycling bins strategically placed around the workplace is a great way to demonstrate your commitment to environmental sustainability and show your staff and visitors that you value their input. If the building management doesn't provide recycling pickup, it's worth the cost to pay someone else to handle it if it boosts morale in the workplace.

Invest In Renewable Energy 

The availability of green energy alternatives has made the transition to renewable power sources much less complicated than it formerly was. Find out whether your utility company provides renewable energy by contacting them. Your energy use contributes to greenhouse gas emissions unless you use sustainable power sources. Wind and solar power are the two renewable energies that are expanding the most rapidly. Investment in renewable energy sources, such as solar power, may seem expensive initially but can ultimately save money for your business. One possibility is installing solar panels on corporate property (either owned or leased).

Limit Physical Meetings

Most British workers probably experienced their first virtual gathering during the nationwide lockdowns of 2020 and 2021. Zoom, Teams, Slack, and even Facebook Rooms are a few examples of such platforms. Having meetings online, regardless of the medium, saves fossil fuel that would have been used for transportation, hence lowering the environmental impact of the meeting. As a result, everyone benefits. Transportation is responsible for a significant proportion of global CO2 emissions, so cutting back on your trip is another great way to help decrease global carbon dioxide emissions.