Did you know that in May 2022, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere were the highest they’ve ever been in human history? In fact, these levels were 50% higher than in the pre-industrial era, with over 241 parts per million of carbon dioxide being recorded in just one month. You may be wondering what this has to do with you and your business. The answer is simple: it has everything to do with you.
You may have noticed that there has recently been a larger focus than ever on the part of businesses on sustainability and the battle against climate change. This is because businesses greatly impact our planet, especially those in the food, transportation, construction, clothing, and trade industries.
The effects of climate change are far-reaching with dangerous weather, rising sea levels, melting glaciers, and deforestation. However, you can do something about this: become a more sustainable business.
Being a sustainable organisation doesn’t have to mean a total overhaul of everything you do. Instead, you can take simple steps towards being a greener, more eco-conscious business that prioritises the planet and all those who call it home.
Tip #1: Ditch paper; go digital
In the UK alone, more than 12.5 tonnes of paper and cardboard are used each year. Every year, we need a forest the size of Wales just to produce all the paper we use. Paper accounts for one-fifth of all the waste produced in our country. This shows that cutting down on the amount of paper your company uses can significantly affect your carbon footprint.
The best thing you can do is to go digital and only print or photocopy what is most important.
- If you can send out an email rather than posting something on a pinboard in your office, do it.
- Place a sign next to your printers and photocopiers that ask your staff to think twice before using paper.
- Move your filing system to cloud storage online.
- Set up paper recycling bins throughout your office.
- Encourage and reward staff when they choose a paper alternative for their projects.
- You can save countless trees by choosing a sustainably sourced recycled paper supplier.
Tip #2: Choose sustainable packaging
If your business sells a product that is wrapped in, stored with, or protected by packaging, you have a further opportunity to reduce your carbon footprint. Take a moment to check out who your packaging suppliers are. Do they use recycled and sustainable materials? If not, it’s time to shop around for a supplier who does.
It’s also a good idea to get your team thinking about creative ways you can cut down on the amount of packaging you use.
- Can you use biodegradable packing peanuts?
- Corn-starch packaging?
- Recycled paper and cardboard?
Look into these options and find your product’s best fit.
Being able to tell your target audience that the packaging you use is sustainable is a brilliant unique selling point (USP) that may even attract more customers.
Tip #3: Choose laptops over desktop computers
Although the technology we use within our businesses is a large contributor to our carbon footprints, there are ways we can make this more sustainable. Providing your staff with laptops instead of desktop PCs is a far more energy efficient choice, automatically reducing your carbon emissions.
A new laptop will typically consume 80% less electricity than a desktop. Generally, laptops draw about 60 watts of electricity at a maximum, while desktops peak at around 175 watts. Additionally, a laptop doesn’t need to be plugged in all the time due to its battery – which is a further energy saving.
Tip #4: More efficient lighting and heat
The energy used in a physical office is the most significant contributor to any company’s carbon emissions. Generally, physical offices have extensive artificial lighting to keep the space sufficiently lit for productivity. Something that you can do to offset your carbon footprint in the office is to switch to more energy efficient lights like LEDs. It’s also worth putting your lighting and heating on a timer system so that they aren’t consuming energy when no one is at the office.
Tip #5: Go remote or outsource
Better yet, you can ditch your physical office completely and let your team work remotely. This means you’re not using any energy at an office, and you’ll save on overhead expenses.
At PrimePixels, our entire team is remote. That means our carbon emissions are nearly zero as we don’t have an energy-consuming physical office, and we do everything digitally without wasting even a piece of paper. If you’re interested in outsourcing your digital marketing activities to a fully remote agency and reducing your carbon footprint, contact us via our website.
