Business Sustainability - it's not too late to start!

By Pro Enviro Ltd
schedule1st Aug 22

Sustainability is becoming a vital priority for all of us.

As business waste continues to accumulate, pollution damages our planet, and as the cost of energy spirals ever upwards, businesses are having to evolve and improve the way they operate.

Sustainability is no longer a fashion statement, as without it there is no future for the planet - sustainability is now a necessity. The majority of responsibility falls on businesses, because they have the largest negative impact on the planet. 

Numerous benefits come from developing sustainable processes and products, including increased profits. As awareness of the environmental impact of international consumerism and harmful business practices grows, all organisations must start taking a closer look at the changes they should make to reduce waste and carbon emissions, and become more sustainable .

Beyond helping to mitigate further damage to the environment, becoming an energy efficient and sustainable business means your processes run more efficiently and you can make savings on many business expenses. All organisations must make more informed decisions about their supply chain, and closely analyse all their own day to day business practices. 

If your business is actively, and publicly, working towards net zero, you will have a competitive edge and improve your brand reputation.

For all businesses, continued and increasing profitability is of ultimate importance. Having a sustainable business allows you to run more efficiently, identify where you can save money, create more opportunities, and and attract new customers. There is only one way to becoming a truly sustainable business – and that’s to ensure you understand, measure, analyse and track your business data, which will allow you to identify how and where to reduce your carbon footprint.

In the case of small offices/organisations, this is likely to be making simple and straightforward changes. Larger businesses, with higher emissions, must now speed up their decarbonisation journey toward net-zero.

So, let’s start with the biggest business sources of energy consumption - and switch to more efficient lighting, heating, and cooling systems. Ensure that there is no energy wasted in your production processes, and that your machinery is working as effectively as possible, and only when needed. Use all available support and every opportunity to establish how you can measure, analyse, manage and reduce your carbon emissions.

In addition – simple and cost effective measures you can take with immediate effect:

  • Implement a recycling programme in the office. 
  • Identify ways to reuse items instead of throwing them away. 
  • Implement a returns programme, for your products that are no longer used, and then recycle, reuse, or donate them.
  • Encourage your employees to share cars, use public transport, or use a bike to commute.
  • Cut down on unnecessary office supplies, especially paper products.
  • Find ways to reduce waste, make it easy for your employees to recycle what they can
  • Allow employees to work from home wherever possible, to reduce emissions from commuting and unnecessary spending on overhead costs. 
  • Avoid single-use materials.
  • Be mindful of how you get rid of old electronics and devices, finding ways to recycle them safely.

Your employees must be involved, informed and committed, and so become an integral part of contributing to the future success of the company. Their participation will be crucial in helping you achieve your business decarbonisation goals.

Overall, there are countless ways your business can start operating more sustainably - the more you do, the more you will benefit. It WILL involve change, it may involve costs (and there are many grant funding programmes available to help*), however the financial benefits will, over time, greatly outweigh any upfront costs.

For more information on how you can become a sustainable business, and the grant funding* that may be available to help, please contact Pro Enviro on 01788 538150. Don't wait until it's too late - act now.