Over the past few years, many of us have made changes in our personal lives to become more eco-friendly to help tackle issues like climate change. While it’s great for everyone to make this effort, it isn’t only up to individuals to do better. It’s extremely important for companies in all industries and of all sizes to make better choices and reduce the amount of harm we do to the environment. By making better choices, your company can do its part to reduce its environmental impact.

Here are five steps your company can take to fight climate change. 

Produce Less Waste

We’re all guilty of producing a lot of waste, but there are ways to cut down on this at work. There are likely a lot of people in your company using single-use plastic, like disposable water bottles and coffee cups. This is an easy thing to change. You can encourage people to start bringing in reusable bottles, straws, and other commonly single-use items. Businesses can also go a step further and invest in things like branded reusable water bottles to ensure everyone has one and get rid of offering single-use items completely. 

One of the most obvious sources of waste within companies is paper, which isn’t really all that necessary today. Louis Wright says, “It has been said time and time again, the easiest way to make a big difference is to limit the amount of plastic and paper waste in your company. This can be as simple from moving systems completely digital, a process that is not as scary or difficult as it may sound in this modern era.”

Recycle Your Old Electronics

Electronics seem like a great way of producing less waste, as they can almost entirely eliminate the need for paper for some companies and significantly decrease it for others. While computers can help reduce the amount of paper you need, electronics themselves create a huge amount of waste. E-waste caused by discarded electronics that end up in landfills is a big cause for concern and is already negatively impacting the environment. Electronic waste recycling is the only way we can stop the e-waste problem from growing.

Everyone needs to recycle their unwanted electronics, but this is especially important for businesses. A company might have hundreds of computers, in addition to things like printers and copiers, which can create a huge amount of waste, which makes IT equipment recycling companies extremely important. When it’s time for your company to get rid of its old electronics, be sure to do so responsibly to prevent it from creating more e-waste. Newtech Recycling can ensure that all of your unwanted electronics get recycled properly. 

Do Less Work-Related Travel

The average commute to work is just under a half-hour, which may not seem like much. However, this adds up to several hours of travel time every week when you think about it. When you think about the number of people driving to work each day, especially those traveling even further, this is a huge amount of travel just for work. Of course, you also have things like work trips that add in even more travel. Some can make better choices like biking to work if they’re close by or carpooling with coworkers to reduce the number of cars on the road. Businesses can encourage these behaviors and provide incentives so people will follow them. 

Laurence Jones from KidsNaturally Photography recommends that businesses “ Cut down on staff travel. We’ve all become used to more video calls. These save time & travel costs, including saving fuel and thus carbon emissions.” While daily work travel is necessary for many, COVID-19 has taught us that many can do their jobs from their homes, eliminating the need for travel. If work from home is an option for your business, consider making this a permanent option even after COVID-19 restrictions are over, even if you only offer work from home days for only a few days a week. 

Be More Energy-Efficient

Office buildings can use up a huge amount of energy, but there are ways they can improve. There are plenty of changes you can make around the office that will save energy, and some are even easier than you might think. Swapping out light bulbs for more energy-efficient ones and buying energy-efficient appliances when your current ones need to be replaced is a great way to do this. If possible, you may even switch to a renewable energy source. 

Laurence Jones recommends that businesses “Use less energy for heating & air conditioning. Investment now in improved insulation and efficient heating/cooling equipment (such as heat pumps) will cut future bills and cut carbon emissions.” Even making small things, like setting lights in conference rooms, bathrooms, and hallways that don’t get much use on a timer can make sure you aren’t wasting energy.

Purchase Sustainable Products

You might be surprised at how many of your everyday items can be harmful to the environment. There are many sustainable alternatives to many commonly used products on the market today. When you do need to buy new things for the company, like paper products, cleaning supplies, and even snacks, find sustainable brands to buy from. Using products and services from businesses with the same environmental values as yours can also help make eco-friendly businesses can continue to make a difference.