The climate crisis is a subject that cannot be ignored. COP26 brought world leaders together and change needs to happen. We all have a part to play. No matter how small, everyone can make sustainable changes. Change doesn’t have to be expensive. You may even find that you save money by creating less waste.
By introducing environmentally friendly alternatives at work you’ll be inspiring your colleagues. Your inspired team can then make these changes at home! You can also have pride in running a more sustainable business.
At Chrome, we encourage our team to do their bit. We’re big on recycling, and we invest in quality products and materials. This means that our office materials don’t need to be constantly rebought and put to waste.
The climate crisis can seem overwhelming, but sustainability doesn’t have to be. It doesn’t have to come at the cost of your business needs either – in fact, it can help with them. We’ve put together a few simple steps to get you started.
Start small
When making any changes to your workplace, it’s best to start small. You don’t want to over overwhelm your team with a lot of changes at once.
Getting your team involved is a great place to start. An engaged and supportive team can make changes easier to introduce. You could address the whole workforce in a meeting, host a workshop, or just send an email round for ideas. This will be a great opportunity to get more inspiration. Your colleagues may be making their own sustainable swaps that they can bring to the office.
Using reusable water bottles is a simple but effective swap. You just need to ensure that your team can easily access drinking water. To encourage your workforce, you could provide branded reusable water bottles. These will look stylish, grow brand awareness, and contribute to less plastic waste!
You could also provide whiteboards for each team member. Details that don’t need to be permanently recorded could be written on a whiteboard and then wiped off. This will save paper, leading to a more sustainable business and savings on office supplies.
These steps may seem small, but they’re a great place to start. If enough people make small changes they can make a big impact.
Reducing your energy usage
The majority of your office equipment will be using electricity. When this equipment isn’t in use there is no need for it to be on. Unplugging appliances will save money on your energy bills and create a more environmentally friendly workplace.
Where possible, you can invest in more sustainable products, such as efficient electronics. There are brilliant options out there which use less electricity but still perform just as well, if not better.
Green power sources are more available than ever before. Consumers have a lot of social influence through the companies that they buy from. Why not opt for an energy provider that uses renewable sources? You can even contribute to green power sources by having solar panels installed at home or your workplace.
Your energy usage will be reduced with less staff at the office. However, working from home will increase household energy consumption. Higher bills might put your team off working from home. If financially possible you might choose to contribute to their energy bills. Supporting your team in working remotely will make them more likely to go for it.
Introduce remote working
By introducing remote working you’ll be able to shorten or completely remove your daily commute. Even when working from the office you should consider if your drive to work is necessary.
Is the distance from home to your workplace walkable? If it is then we’d recommend giving walking a go. Walking to work is a simple way of doing more exercise, so you’ll be helping the planet and contributing to your health!
Reduced paper usage also has great benefits for the environment. Even one tree saved can make a difference. Remote working can contribute to reduced paper usage. In the office you’ll be more likely to print documents for convenience. However, at home you may not have access to a printer.
Accessing your documents remotely can be simplified with a cloud-based system. With the ability to files access your files from anywhere in the world you’ll find that you barely need to print.
You don’t have to work from home every day to make a difference. Offering hybrid and flexible working will allow your team to decide which works best for them. This will also show that you are considering the individual needs of your team when making business decisions.
We hope that you find these steps useful. We would love to know if you decide to make these changes at your workplace! Our products support effective remote working, and we can quote you on the right system for your business. Be sure to look at our previous blogs detailing ways to facilitate remote working with ease.
