7 Ways to Improve Sustainability in the Workplace
Printing
The average worker uses 10,000 sheets of paper each year, and 6,800 of them sheets are considered waste. Before you print something, think whether you really need a hard copy. Not only will printing less save your business on the costs of ink and paper, you are not wasting paper. If you do have to print, you could print double-sided to save paper.
Power
Avoid using screen savers on computers because they consume more energy than allowing monitors to dim. Turning down the brightness on your computer also reduces energy consumption.
Recycle
As well as everything you would recycle at home, make sure your business is recycling paper, printer cartridges, batteries and mobile phones.
Plastic
Plastic isn’t fully avoidable, but you could encourage employees to bring in re-usable water bottles to avoid plastic bottles. Also, you could introduce branded canvas bags to encourage employees to use them when shopping to avoid collecting plastic bags. And it will promote your business so it’s a win-win!
Equipment
If you are in the market for new office equipment, research the most ecological equipment you can get. If not, you could introduce energy management controls to turn off equipment overnight.
Transport
It’s not always possible to walk or cycle to work, but consider car-sharing or using public transport where you can to avoid too many cars travelling to the same place. If you can walk or cycle though, you will be saving money, exercising and reducing your carbon footprint.
Heating
Avoid heating unnecessarily. If areas of the office are empty, turn off the heating in that area. Likewise, if you notice employees opening windows, the heating is obviously not necessary so save money and energy and turn it off.
