With environmental issues becoming increasingly more worrying with each passing year, there is greater demand than ever to mitigate the risk. Naturally, most of the onus has been on large corporations for their heavily polluting practices – but that doesn’t mean that smaller businesses and individuals can’t do a lot to make a difference also.

Thankfully, the problematic practices of the past are slowly but surely going by the wayside, and it’s got to the point that if you want to run a business in this world, people are going to expect that you’re putting effort into doing so in a sustainable way.

If you’re just starting a business or have recognized the need for change, this article is for you. Here are 12 practical ways to make your business more environmentally friendly over the long term.

1. Conduct Environmental Audits

Before you go any further, it’s crucial to assess what sort of impact you’re having on the environment at baseline. Go through the entirety of your business operations, taking note of which processes generate the most waste and use the most energy. Carbon footprint calculators can be especially helpful here, and if you need a more in-depth analysis or run a particularly large company with many moving parts, it could be worthwhile to hire a professional environmental consultant to work things out for you.

2. Optimize Your Energy Usage

When you’re looking to improve your carbon footprint and become a more environmentally friendly business, it all starts with optimizing your energy use. For example, lighting is a major factor, especially if you use a large building with many rooms: switching to LED lights, which are far more energy efficient, can make a world of difference to your total energy consumption.

You can also seek to replace old appliances with ones that are Energy Star-certified. The system rates appliances on an individual basis, with the certification only awarded if it meets certain standards for energy efficiency. The US Environmental Protection Agency  oversees tens of thousands of products this way, so it’s a system you can trust.

3. Switch to Renewable Energy

For many businesses, it is the energy source they are using that presents the biggest problem for their carbon footprint, with the worst offender being fossil fuels. Even if you cannot entirely switch your energy source to sustainable ones, there is still plenty you can do to reduce the impact. For example, you could install solar panels on your building to offset some of your power requirements and store power in batteries. You could even look into installing a small wind turbine on the premises if you have the means.

4. Outsource Non-core Tasks

You might not think outsourcing tasks would be directly involved in reducing emissions and using less energy, but it can actually have a big impact. For example, rather than employing an in-house customer support team – requiring an equipped office with many machines running at once – you could switch to an online chat service. Choose a platform with the best conversational user interface and a proven track record, and you’ll find you can cut down on energy and outgoings substantially. There may be several instances like this right across your business. In many cases, it doesn’t have to mean replacing a workforce, and partial outsourcing can bring the best of both worlds.

5. Minimize Business Travel

If there’s one thing that everyone knows is problematic for the environment, it’s excess traveling in cars, busses, and trains – and of course, the same goes for business travel. One of the best ways you can work to mitigate this issue is by using video conferencing where possible rather than in-person meetings. Video conferencing services such as Skype, Zoom, and Teams have come a long way, vastly reducing the need for in-person business meetings and making them far more accessible for those overseas.

6. Importance of Recycling

The importance of recycling has been on most of our minds for years, but far too few businesses prioritize it. Every business that’s conscious of its environmental impact should have a robust recycling program, encouraging their employees clearly and effectively how to segment their waste according to the local authorities’ rules.

One of the most important factors when it comes to promoting recycling is to simply have enough bins about (and bins that are clearly labeled). Make sure that when your staff goes to throw something away, there’s a recycling bin and a regular one right next to each other.

7. Choose Eco-Friendly Suppliers

Adopting sustainable practices doesn’t solely relate to operations going on under your own roof – you also need to consider the suppliers you choose. Try to work with suppliers who share your vision for a better future. Many suppliers today try their best to minimize their impact via many different means, from transportation and logistics to manufacturing.

Just be sure not to rush into changing things with your supply chain. Thoroughly assess the situation before making any big decisions; reshuffling in the name of sustainability is admirable, but change too much all at once, and you could set yourself up for a lot of problems!

8. Adopt a Circular Economy Model

Another important factor is the principle of the circular economy model. Traditionally, industries adopted a ‘take-make-waste’ approach, in which no efforts were made to consider how a product might be refused, refurbished, or recycled at the end of its lifecycle. The circular economy model aims to bring materials and products back into circulation as new, once again useful items. If you’re in the business of designing products, this model should be brought into the process as best you can.

9. Use Green Packaging

If you’re a company that distributes a lot of products, there’s plenty you can do to improve your environmental impact with packaging. You can start by analyzing the packaging you currently use and seeing if you can make improvements – determine what’s biodegradable and what isn’t, and try to switch to using recyclable materials where you can. Don’t forget to look at other elements of the packaging besides just the box: tapes, adhesives, and packing peanuts can cause issues too. You may not be able to eliminate all contaminants, but do what you can. An added advantage is that your customers will appreciate your environmentally friendly effort as well.

10. Foster a Sustainable Office Culture

A big part of building a more environmentally sustainable business revolves around your staff; it’s essential to foster an eco-conscious culture at work so that everyone knows how important the environment is to the company ethos.

You should do your best to encourage remote work to reduce emissions, offer training programs, work with the local authorities to provide educational resources, and work on small things like providing reusable receptacles and recyclable utensils in the canteen. Ultimately, little things can go a long way, so you don’t need to try to change the world in a day!

11. Support Local Green Initiatives

Not all of your efforts have to revolve around the business. Get out there and engage with your local community and support the green initiatives available. This support can take many forms: you could support tree-planting events, work with local environmental groups and participate in clean-up programs, and so on.

These sorts of acts can also go a long way in inspiring your employees, incentivising them to engage with the programs you’ve set up at work. Ask your staff to get involved during these events, too – try to drum up some morale and get people excited about being a force for good. People want to feel that their work is meaningful and that they’re making a difference, and environmental causes are a great way to do that.

12. Make Use of Innovative Technology

Modern technology pushes every industry forward every year, so it makes sense that there’s a lot it can do to make businesses more sustainable, too. Cloud computing is one great way of improving energy efficiency. Gone are the days of huge, expensive on-site server rooms that run very hot. If you still use these systems for storing and processing data, switching to cloud storage can drastically reduce your energy output.

Most recently, there are AI-based sustainability tools and automation: there is a myriad of ways these tools can be used for optimization purposes, helping businesses find not only the most efficient way of getting a task done, but how to do it in an environmentally friendly manner.

Wrapping Up

Hopefully, this article has given you some idea on how you can improve sustainable practices to make yours an environmentally friendly business. It’s important to note that you shouldn’t hope to tackle everything all at once; these things take time, and you’ll make much more progress in the long term by taking calculated baby steps as opposed to broad strokes. Good luck!