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August 16, 2021

Green Your Business - Leveraging Technology to Reduce Your Company's Environmental Footprint



Environmental awareness has been a hot topic of discussion for years, prompting many small and large business owners to take a closer look at what they can do to green their operations. Taking this step reduces their company's environmental footprint and shows consumers they are a forward-thinking organisation that understands its responsibility towards the environment.



Small changes, such as adding a water filter to discourage the use of plastic water bottles and placing recycling bins throughout the workplace, are helpful, but companies need to do more if they want to break even with the environment and reduce their carbon footprint. Fortunately, recent technologies can aid businesses in greening their processes without harming their operations.

The journey towards sustainability can be challenging at times, but by leveraging technology, business owners can make the transition easier and set their business up for success. Below are some examples of how new technologies can be used in the fight against pollution.

Switch to renewable energy

When you turn on the light or the computer by just pressing a button, it may not seem like you are contributing to pollution, as there are no emissions coming out. However, even if a computer does not pollute the air, similar to how a car does it, it still consumes energy that needs to be produced somewhere – in this case, at power plants.

The simple and most effective way to tackle this is by installing a renewable energy source. The most viable option for businesses is to install solar panels, which collect energy from the sun and turn it into electricity.

While installing a solar panel system can represent a significant investment, it is one that will pay off in the future. The technology is becoming increasingly more affordable already, plus many governments give incentives to businesses that choose to install solar panels. In the long run, you will be able to cut about 80% of your energy bill costs. The only aspect you need to take care of is proper maintenance to ensure the system is running properly.

Promote a paper-free culture

Small company owners that care about the environment are already reducing their usage of paper whenever possible. Email is becoming a normal procedure for communicating with employees, clients, and consumers and most documents are stored digitally for both convenience and environmental consciousness.

Another method to reduce the use of paper in the office is by paying bills exclusively online, only printing documents when absolutely necessary, and sending out digital newsletters instead of printed ones. These things will not only contribute to reducing your carbon footprint but will also cut down costs quite significantly as you won't spend unnecessary money on paper.

Because we are yet to reach that state in which a business can go entirely paper-free, you also need to find proper ways to dispose of the paper you do use. One option is using a modern recycling solution, such as cardboard and plastic balers for example. These balers compact the waste to make it easier to store and deliver to the recycling facility. What few business owners know is they can actually make money by recycling, as there are many recycling companies that pay for the amount of waste delivered.

Allow employees to work remote

What is the first thing you think of when you hear the words "CO2 emissions"? Chances are, you are going to say a stretch of roadway with clouds of exhaust pouring from car tailpipes. While automobiles are unlikely to vanish anytime soon, small businesses can help to decrease pollution. Allowing your staff to work from home is one way your company can reduce CO2 emissions, even if it's for 1-2 days a week.

People may now easily telecommute to work because of tremendous advancements in digital communication technologies over the last few years. Apart from the ability to hold face-to-face meetings with colleagues and clients without having to be physically in the same place, online collaboration tools like Zoom and Google (News - Alert) Suite enable streamlined real-time remote team collaboration. If their job allows it, recommend that your employees take at least a few days a month to work from home.

Befriend the Internet of Things

The Internet of Things, referred to as the IoT, represents one of the technological breakthroughs of today's world. It is, basically, a network of electronic devices that are packed with sensors that collect and send data to a central database. The information received is then analysed and transformed into valuable data that people can use to track if these devices work properly or if there is an issue that needs to be tackled soon.

The IoT can help businesses get access to a vast amount of data they can use to track their progress and find alternatives to green their business. One example is restaurants, which can install IoT-powered sensors on refrigerators to make sure they keep the proper temperature and food is not wasted. Another example involves the manufacturing industry, where companies can install sensors on their machinery to detect and prevent malfunctions, thus avoiding costly repairs.

Encourage online shopping

Allowing clients to purchase items or services online is a great method to decrease your environmental footprint. Selling online has a simple effect on being more eco-conscious and saving money: if a company no longer had a physical office space, it would eliminate 100% of the expense and environmental impact of that particular space.

We are not saying you should give up on having a store if your business depends on it, but maybe consider switching to a smaller space and use it as a showroom. You can display most of your products here, where customers can test them and even have a few pieces for sale, but redirect most of the shopping to your website.

Even if a company does not go fully digital, decreasing the number of individuals who have to drive to and from a store to obtain a service can help reduce the company's carbon footprint. Going green doesn't have to mean scrapping your entire company model and starting again, but finding solutions to minimise the impact you have on the environment.



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