Businesses need to start looking at ways to introduce sustainability. Environmental factors are playing a big role in every country. These factors affect people's decisions about shopping, careers and can even influence investors. If your business starts to fall behind the competition when it comes to sustainability, you could be putting yourself in a lot of financial turmoil.
We understand that when it comes to sustainability it can be difficult to get the ball rolling and it takes a lot of time to set goals and come up with business plans to meet them. However, whilst you are putting your sustainability plan into action there are still some practices your business could be adopting.
Sustainable practices for your business
Make sustainability part of your business values and missions
Everybody associated with your business should be aware of your company's sustainability values and missions. Whether they are customers, employees or even investors everyone should know that being a green business is something you are aiming to do.
One of the best ways to let people know what your business stands for is to incorporate it into your values and mission statements. Create a green mission statement for our business that captures the company's values and cultures. This will give your business something to work for and show that you are more socially responsible than your competitors.
A sustainable mission and value statement also holds your business accountable to becoming green based on what goals you have set out. If you meet these goals this shows a strong positive message to customers and investors that you are committed to bringing about change.
To create a new sustainability statement you must be accountable and truthful for your current waste, this statement will then capture how you will reduce this waste. Being very specific about goals and what you are going to do to meet them further shows your commitment to becoming a green company.
A sustainability statement might take a lot of research to come up with but it is something you can start thinking about today.
Evaluate current practices
Another way you can start introducing sustainability into your business is to switch your business operations to include more sustainable practices. From carbon emissions to things such as plastic waste and food waste, there are a lot of small changes your business could make that would have a positive impact on your business's sustainability practices.
Starting to take control of your carbon emissions by reducing your energy usage could massively decrease how much energy you use. This is not only going to benefit your overall sustainability strategy but also save you money over time.
You can also reduce waste in the business by encouraging employees to have better practices when it comes to energy usage. Promoting energy-saving practices such as turning equipment and lights could save your business a lot when it comes to your gas and electricity contracts.
Reduce waste where possible
Reducing overall waste and energy waste in your business can be critical to reach sustainability. There are small things you can start to do straight away in your business that can massively improve this, such as:
- Make sure you are fixing faulty equipment- faulty or old equipment can cause you to use a lot more energy than you need to. Regularly checking and repairing equipment can make a big difference.
- Only use the energy you need- make sure employees are not wasting energy by leaving electrical equipment on when not in use.
- Improve waste management - consider having more effective waste management and promote different recycling programs that your employees could take part in across your business.
Improve energy efficiency
Improving how your business uses energy and making it more efficient is one way to major step towards making your business more sustainable.
Energy efficiency is important when it comes to sustainability because without making changes in the way your business uses energy you will never be able to meet your sustainability goals. Small things you can start to do to improve energy efficiency include:
- Reviewing your usage- having a smart meter can help you see how much energy your business is using daily. With this information you can lo, ok into how you can start to reduce usage during peak usage times.
- Fix any heat issues - Your building could be wasting a lot of heat through a lack of insulation or just simply not having the heating on the right settings. Have someone check your building to see if it is fully insulated and consider investing in a smart thermometer.
- Use more energy-efficient equipment - consider using better equipment that puts less of a strain on your energy bills.
- Ensure equipment is switched off - little changes such as switching equipment and lights off when they are not in use can have a big impact on your energy bills and help to become more independent.
Engage employees
To improve overall sustainability in a business, everybody needs to be on board especially those that work for the company. You need to find ways that motivate your staff to want to be a part of your sustainable change. There are many ways you can do this such as:
- Make sure everyone is involved - Getting your staff involved can make them feel like they are part of any changes happening in the business. From the start, you should ask staff for suggestions and allow everyone to come up with innovative ideas on how to save energy.
- Ensure there are noticeable benefits for them- Tell your staff how improving sustainability is going to improve business over time. Make sure to include how these benefits are going to improve staff. For example, in the business you run, sustainability could mean more growth options for your business which could lead to better jobs or pay for employees.
- Create incentives - You should create incentives for employees who do get involved in sustainable changes. For example, the team that implements the most sustainable change in the business could be rewarded with a team day out.
If you're ready to improve your energy efficiency whilst driving down energy bills then why not get in touch? With our carbon management plans we will give your business everything it needs to reduce consumption and maximise on savings. . Request a free quote now and start reducing your carbon footprint and energy bills today.
