Good resolutions: 7 tips to make your company greener in 2022
What if, you made your company more environmentally friendly, in 2022? Would you like to make this good resolution? Discover 5 simple and effective tips to significantly reduce your carbon footprint at no extra cost.
A new year means a new start and the good resolutions that come along. Quitting smoking, getting back into shape, eating more balanced… are very popular examples often taken on a personal level, but … often so quickly abandoned. What if instead you choose good resolutions for your company this year? In 2022, more than ever it is impossible to ignore the ecological transition.
1)Turn off the lights
Observation: every night we see entire buildings lit up , even though the offices are closed at that time. The perfect example of energy waste that could easily be eliminated. A simple way to reduce your carbon footprint is to always remember to turn off unnecessary lights. Whether it’s about the lights continuously on in meeting rooms (even when empty), lights in toilets, screensavers…. All these sources of unnecessary energy consumption can be avoided with a simple reflex. Think about it and always remind your staff to turn off the lights when leaving a room or floor.
If some lights have to be on for many hours, consider switching to energy-saving light bulbs. They consume less energy than traditional ones and also limit your electricity consumption!
2) Eliminate paper
In the digital age, it is sometimes difficult to imagine that companies still need paper. Between printing documents, signing contracts, designing files, etc., companies sometimes waste a lot of paper. But thanks to the digital tools we have today, it is easy to opt for alternatives that do not contribute to deforestation. Emails, electronic faxes, digital signatures, PDF documents, shared clouds, internal servers…
Today, you can generate, share, correct, modify and store documents without having to print them. Easy, though?! All you need to do is train your employees to adopt these 2.0 reflexes and you will save paper and preserve forests. And if you really have to use paper, opt for recycled and remember to reuse it before throwing it away!
Tip: Sorting emails, deleting junk mail and emptying your recycle bin will also help reduce your carbon footprint .
3) Limit your digital footprint.
If we told you earlier that it was important to leave printing for digital tools in order to preserve forests, you should not forget that their use also generates a polluting digital footprint.
Indeed, each online activity generates greenhouse gas emissions, which is why becoming an eco-responsible company also involves limiting its digital footprint. To do so, it is necessary to adopt small every actions such as reducing the number of emails (of people copying emails and attachments as well) and replacing it by internal chats (such as Slack or others), sorting and deleting emails, storing a maximum of data internally (and not on the cloud), closing unnecessary tabs, blocking automatic video playback, etc. All these practices can be implemented within a company and will considerably reduce the carbon bill.
4) Recycle
Between the amount of printed paper more for a habit than for real use, plastic cups, paper napkins, coffee pods, food scraps and ink cartridges… the waste generated within a company is huge. And if it is a challenge to try to reduce it, it is another one to recycle it.
It may seem trivial, but recycling waste is one of the most important environmental habits. And fortunately, it is also one of the easiest to implement. It all starts with the first step: sorting and collecting. To reduce the pollution caused by your waste, you can start by sorting it. To do this, simply install sorting bins (plastic, paper and cardboard, glass, etc.) in all meeting and catering areas
You can also provide appropriate collection areas for waste that requires special treatment such as ink cartridges, light bulbs, electronic equipment, etc.
5) Eliminate single-use plastic
Cups, spoons, cutlery, napkins…. Single-use plastic is almost everywhere in companies. It may look practical, but it is far from being environmentally friendly. Today, dozens of alternatives exist to replace it: wooden cutlery, bamboo straws, cornstarch packaging, recycled lids… Eco-responsible options, in addition to being recyclable and often compostable, are affordable.
The best option? Definitively give up on single use plastic and invest in reusable tableware!
6) Encourage home working
We rarely think about it, but making all our employees come to the office is a significant source of pollution. Transport, heating, lights… surely important to ensure a healthy working environment for employees but energy consuming.
Considering lonely commuters, overheated rooms for a few people and lights switched on day and night, it is sometimes ridiculous to invest so much money for the same return as homeworking.
And yes, varied and serious studies have shown that employees who work from home are as productive as those who come to work.
The pandemic has forced many companies to adopt homeworking for the first time. This has been a success for most companies, which should now consider this option several times a week to their employees. In addition to being pleasant and practical, it also reduces pollution in your company. Who can beat that?
7) Opt for eco-friendly packaging
Rethinking your business also means rethinking the details surrounding production, sales and transport of the sold goods.
In order to be sustainable to the end, it is therefore worthwhile to turn to eco-responsible packaging for your products and/or goodies. More respectful of nature without being too expensive, sustainable packaging can take many forms: made from eco-responsible materials, designed from recycled materials, from technological innovation… We offer many adapted possibilities for your products. Whether it’s food, clothing, home decoration or jewellery, at XMP Packaging you’ll find all the 100% customizable and environmentally friendly packaging that suits your products the best.
