Eight Simple Ways to Reduce Environmental Impacts in Your Business

18/04/2018

Many businesses often struggle to identify how they can reduce their environmental impacts. Follow our simple tips on how you can reduce your environmental impacts in your business. These tips can not only reduce your environmental impact, but also achieve cost savings within your business.

1. Reduce paper usage – The pulp paper industry is the world’s fifth largest industrial consumer of energy and uses more water to produce a toner of product than any other industry(¹⁾. So not only are you saving money by reducing paper usage and the number of trees felled to make paper, you are also reducing energy and water consumption.
2. Provide reusable mugs – Reusable mugs save the number of disposable cups going to landfill and being produced. Reusable cups are also a great medium for advertising.
3. Use recycled materials – Using recycled products reduces the amount of raw product being produced, and also reduces the amount of waste going to landfill.
4. Turn off monitors when not in use – Leaving your computer monitor on during out of office hours can produce as much greenhouse pollution annually as driving your car from Melbourne to Perth(²⁾. Turning off computer monitors when out of the office will help decrease energy consumption and increase your cost savings.
5. Recycle – where you can’t reduce the products being used, look to recycle when they reach the end of their life. Recycling prevents waste from going to landfill. The UK Commercial and Industrial sectors generated 41.9 million tonnes of waste in 2014, of which 32.8 million tonnes (around 80%) was produced in England(³⁾.
6. Sustainable purchasing policy – businesses can implement policies for sustainable purchasing where it is not cost prohibitive. This means sourcing more energy efficient equipment and materials which are less harmful to the environment, and products which use less packaging and/or recycled packaging.
7. Car pooling – encourage car pooling where possible. This saves money for employees and also reduces CO₂ emissions.
8. Check for water leaks – a quick look at your water usage will give you an indication on if you have any water leaks. Fixing water leaks will reduce wastewater and also reduce water costs.

If you need help with environmental management and compliance, or with any part of your health, safety and environment management system, contact us to find out how we can help you: enquiries@sandfordhodges.com or 01843 6399711.

1. Source: Worldwatch Institute: http:www.worldwatch.org/pubs/goodstuff/paper/
2. Source: Sustainability Victoria – Energy Toolbox: http:www.energy-toolbox.vic.gov.au/dmdocuments/Poster_A3.pdf
3. Source: Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs . Government Statistical Services: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/683051/UK_Statisticson_Waste_statistical_notice_Feb_2018_FINAL.pdf