Sustainability isn’t just a trend – it’s a crucial business driver. Consumers prefer to spend their money on sustainable brands and employees want to work for organisations that share their values. Plus, investors are increasingly looking at a company’s environmental initiatives.
Here’s the good news: becoming sustainable is more accessible than it used to be.Read on as we highlight 12 key steps your business can take to incorporate sustainability into its daily operations.
12 Steps To Make Your Business Sustainable
Let’s dive into 12 sustainable solutions that successful eco-conscious companies have adopted.
1. Create an action plan
It’s easy to say you want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and become a more sustainable business. But how do you achieve these admirable goals?
Start with an assessment of your company’s carbon footprint. The free Carbon Trust footprint calculator (for medium and small businesses) or the Carbonfootprint.com calculator provides a good estimate. Then develop an action plan containing practical steps for a lower-carbon future.
When MID Digital Solutions developed our ESG plan (Environmental, Social, and Governance plan), we had little idea of how impactful it would be.
We developed a plan to lower our carbon output and submitted it to our stakeholders. That was over six years ago. Since then, the plan has been tweaked, improved, and actively implemented. Actioning these sustainable practices in the Environmental and Social pillarshas yielded many benefits.
Among the most gratifying are:
- Higher team morale
- Lower energy bills
- Business growth
- New relationships with companies who share our sustainability mission.
2. Engage and empower your team
It’s vital that your team supports the company’s sustainability drive. Empower employees to become sustainability champions by providing training, resources, and opportunities to contribute ideas. Share tips, success stories, and new best practices regularly.
Be sure to recognise and reward your team’s efforts to promote a positive and sustainable work environment.
3. Use refurbished tech
Using refurbished tech like computers and phones is a smart sustainability move. It keeps devices out of landfills, reduces the demand for rare natural resources, and cuts the energy and emissions used in manufacturing.
The average new phone will generate over 180 kg of CO2 over its lifetime. A refurbished unit saves 77kg in just one year. Factor in the cost savings on refurbished items and there’s ample motivation to buy refurbished when you next upgrade your tech.
MID Digital Solutions is proud to offer a range of expertly refurbished devices, including phones and laptops. Contact us to take advantage of money-saving deals on refurbished products.
4. Adopt sustainable packaging
If your business utilises lots of packaging, you can significantly cut your environmental footprint by switching to sustainable packaging.
Choose recycled paper or compostable materials for all packaging and reduce waste by designing smaller, more efficient containers.
Don’t forget to offer reusable packaging options to customers. It’s a simple but effective and rewarding service.
5. Improve energy efficiency
Improving energy efficiency is one of the most practical sustainable business practices. There’s plenty you can do to make your business more energy efficient. Here are a few areas to tackle:
- Upgrade to energy-efficient lighting such as LED bulbs.
- Think about replacing older machinery and appliances with more efficient models.
- Install smart thermostats to help reduce your energy consumption.
- Manage your air conditioning smartly with timers.
- Ensure your building is well insulated to avoid wasting heat and cooling.
- Replace fuel-powered vehicles with electric vehicles in your fleet and company carpool.
6. Recycle and reuse
Recycling and reusing are at the heart of sustainability.
Encourage a philosophy of reusing materials whenever possible. For example, use the boxes that come with deliveries for storage or to ship items. In manufacturing, parts of defective products or machines can often be repurposed.
Place recycling bins near rubbish bins or where they are easily accessible. Provide clear signage. Encourage employees to make recycling part of their daily routine.
Invest in a waste compactor to compress your waste into smaller sizes, reducing pickup trips.
Explore specialised recycling for items like heating fuel and oils.
7. Be water smart
Our company has installed water filtration systems for healthy, clean drinking water.With reusable bottles and glasses, single-use plastics are a thing of the past.
We have also installed low-flow toilets and taps to save water and reduce bills.
If you use irrigation systems, look to optimise their efficiency to conserve water. In industrial processes, a water recycling system is highly recommended as an environmentally sustainable solution.
8. Install solar panels
Installing a solar panel system is a bold commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. While a relatively small commercial solar system of 30 kW may cost around £50,000, it’s important to view solar as an investment. Solar PV panels have a lifespan of 25+ years and, thanks to energy bill savings, it’s often possible to pay them back in 10 years.
What about the environmental impact? A 30 kW system effectively saves over 5 tonnes of carbon dioxide from entering the earth’s atmosphere.
With solar renewable energy, you combat climate change and save money. But that’s not all – you can earn money too. The Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) pays for excess electricity sold back to the grid.
If solar isn’t a viable option for your business, you can still source renewable energy by signing a green energy deal with your electricity supplier. Most energy providers offer green deals, guaranteeing that energy is sourced predominantly from renewables.
9. Promote Green IT
Focus on making your IT infrastructure as green as possible. Here are some ways to achieve this:
- Host your website on a server that is powered by green energy.
- Build eco-friendly websites.
- Activate the power management system on all your computers.
- Encourage your team to shut down their computers and other appliances at the end of the day.
- Prioritise digital over paper documents and files.
10. Encourage remote work
Remote work and virtual meetings reduce your company’s travel carbon emissions. Modern remote work is made possible by an increasing number of intelligent tools such as hosted 3CX incorporating VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol).
3CX is designed so team members can take their office extensions with them and work as if in the office. They can access phone calls, video chat, live chat, CRM programs and more from a single device. This software-based system is highly flexible, making it easy to scale for businesses of all sizes.
If you’d like to learn more about how your team can work seamlessly from anywhere, contact us about our hosted 3CX phone systems.
Of course, remote work may not be possible for all companies and in-person meetings are valuable. You may be able to adopt a hybrid working setup. You can also encourage employees to carpool to meetings.
11. Greener office supplies
Your business can reduce paper usage (and save trees) by implementing paperless billing, working with digital documents and files, and avoiding single-use paper. Where paper is needed choose a recycled product.
Besides paper, look for greener versions of other workplace supplies including:
- Eco-friendly cleaning products containing no harmful chemicals
- Green rubbish bags
- Reusable kitchen dishware and utensils
- Reusable printer ink cartridges
12. Partner with other sustainable businesses
Ask the businesses in your supply chain about their sustainability efforts and try to support sustainable suppliers. Is the courier company delivering your parcels and products environmentally responsible?
Aligning yourself with like-minded businesses, committed to reducing their environmental impact, can support and encourage your sustainability programmes. You may be inspired to join the thousands of companies that have pledged to becomecarbon-neutral by 2030.
MID Digital Solutions has formed many mutually beneficial partnerships by connecting with companies that live and breathe sustainability.
Can You Be Certified As A Sustainable Business?
The B Corp certification (issued by B Lab Global) certifies a company’s commitment to sustainability and ethical business practices.
It confirms that a business meets high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability. These standards include using sustainable raw materials, reducing waste, and treating employees fairly.
To receive B Corp certification, you must complete an assessment and achieve a minimum score.
Get Quality Eco-Friendly Refurbished Devices
Contact MID Digital Solutions today for excellent deals on fully refurbished phones, computers, and other tech – including the latest devices. Our refurbished devices have undergone a thorough 30-point inspection, look as good as new, and perform perfectly.
When your business chooses refurbished devices from us, you save money and cut your carbon footprint. You also get a warranty of 1-3 years. Plus, we offer trade-ins on old devices.
FAQs
What are the 5 steps to create a more sustainable business strategy?
To create a more sustainable business strategy, invest in these 5 steps:
- Identify the sustainability issues you want to address.
- Consult with all stakeholders.
- Set clear and realistic goals.
- Develop an action plan to achieve your goals.
- Monitor your progress.
What are the 3 Ps of business sustainability?
The 3 Ps of sustainability are People, Planet, and Profit – sometimes called the triple bottom line.
What are the three pillars of a sustainable business?
The three pillars of a sustainable business are Social, Environmental, and Profit. They refer to how a business impacts people and local communities, the planet and its resources, as well as the company’s economic sustainability.
Final Thoughts
Consumers prioritise sustainable brands, employees seek eco-conscious workplaces, and investors favour companies with strong environmental programmes. These are compelling reasons to make your business more sustainable.
There are numerous eco-friendly strategies you can implement. From creating an action plan and offsetting your carbon footprint to recycling, installing a solar system, and encouraging remote work, these strategies benefit the environment and your business’s bottom line.