Photo by CadoMaestro from Pexels
As more business owners and consumers become aware of the effects of climate change, addressing carbon footprints has become even more critical. Regardless of your industry and the products and services you sell, taking your business’s environmental impact more seriously should start on the right foot.
Setting an example for other businesses to follow should go beyond making cosmetic changes and superficial policies as a sustainability partner. It matters to be informed and strategic when choosing the approaches that will enrich your business and produce concrete results. In case you’re unsure how to go about this, the guide below should lay out down a few basic ways that will help your business reduce its carbon footprint:
1. Know Your Carbon Situation
Any attempt to build a more sustainable business should begin with getting a good idea of what your brand lacks and needs to improve. A thorough assessment of your carbon footprint will help you determine your actual emissions and whether such volume surpasses industry averages.
If your brand belongs to a sector that produces significant amounts of waste per month, then you will need to check if your operations meet industry emissions standards. Bear in mind that your carbon footprint doesn’t represent the energy consumption of equipment alone.
The total volume should also reflect other factors such as waste from used office supplies, transportation, and materials like plastic packaging for goods used in production. Considering all this, it pays to have a system for measuring the environmental impact of your business.
This would mean checking your electricity bills and measuring wastewater discharge. You might find this complex, but there are now AI-powered tools designed specifically to help you assess your carbon footprint more accurately and identify areas that contribute the most emissions.
2. Opt for Energy-Efficient Upgrades
Energy efficiency lies at the core of everything you can do to reduce emissions. Especially if you’re operating your business for more than 20 years, you might find opportunities to swap outdated fixtures with ones that can reduce energy consumption.
You might want to consider checking your interior and exterior lighting systems and see if there are bulbs that must be swapped for LED lights. Do the same for appliances and other equipment that may have undergone significant degradation, which often contributes to higher energy costs. While you may have to set aside funds to upgrade equipment, you could still save more money over the long term.
In addition to this, opt to adopt renewable energy sources into your power mix. Solar power can help cut dependency on a single source. You can use solar panels to run your ventilation system and maintain a backup power source in case of interruptions in the main grid. You can further cut energy bills if you depend on solar energy for your exterior and interior lights. Consider getting help installing solar powered lights from commercialledlights.com or other well-known suppliers near you.
3. Implement a Paperless Workplace Policy the Right Way
Most businesses would think about reducing their carbon footprint as a matter of reducing dependence on paper and paper products. With cloud systems becoming more widespread in offices across different industries, you might think about implementing a paperless system in your establishment.
However, it isn’t as straightforward as it seems. Notwithstanding the risk of data breaches and the high cost of installing servers and digitizing documents, a paperless workplace will only amplify the impact of human error, especially if employees aren’t trained enough. These are often the results of having to rush paperless changes.
This new system goes beyond organizing training sessions using cloud platforms. You also need to improve data privacy and security compliance, and use reliable platforms for handling accounting and HR-related paperwork.
Start small by allowing your employees time to become familiar with these platforms. You may still require physical documents, but as a paperless culture becomes more prevalent, you can gradually transition to a completely paperless environment.
4. Create a Cyclical Economy
Every eco-friendly policy or project you implement in your business will fail if you fall short in building a system that reduces waste. Adopting a cyclical economy allows you to repurpose materials meant for disposal and reduce the need to purchase new equipment every time.
Implementing this should start with creating a process that redirects wastewater to fire suppression systems as well as irrigation for plants. If you’re in the food processing industry, you can repurpose surplus ingredients for other uses. Scraps can be reworked into new batches or different products.
Equipment maintenance is also critical for maintaining a cyclical economy. Reducing the impact of wear and tear on production line machinery can eliminate the need for replacements and help ensure that such equipment remains efficient. Setting aside maintenance, on the other hand, will only fast-track deterioration, leading to higher energy consumption and a higher risk of long-term damage.
Endnote
For your business to position itself as a champion of sustainability, addressing its high carbon footprint is a must. As soon as you implement, the more likely you are to bring a lasting impact in your industry.
