What is an Environmentally-Sustainable Workplace, and why you should know?

Sustainability was a “Buzz Word” on everybody’s lips — and rightly so!
Collective consumption and waste levels have now reached levels, never before thought possible. Unfortunately, we are very unprepared to deal with the situation at hand. The good news is that we still have some time. (Not a lot of time, but we have some!)
One estimate from 2019, found that approx 400 MILLION TONS of plastic are produced every year. Now this is a huge amount of plastic that is being produced and to make the example more tangible for the average person, a small fraction of that is made up by plastic bags, estimated to amount to 5 TRILLION used worldwide every year.

Now, there’s been the trend that individuals are collectively trying to change their lifestyles by changing their diets and using alternative modes of transport. However, realistically, this difference is negligible when compared to the effect that Businesses Owners can have by making their companies “go green”. Here’s a list of some of the benefits businesses have reported after taking this approach and some ideas that you could implement in your business today!

• Reducing, CostsWaste & Energy
  
  There are many ways to reduce your Carbon Footprint as a business. The easiest things to implement are to reduce waste and conserve your energy usage. Believe it or not, this will actually help you reduce your running costs. Being more conscious of the number of lights or equipment that are running unnecessarily and upgrading to energy-saving appliances can make a large cumulative effect on the expenses of your business in the long run. 
  Another way to reduce waste and reduce your costs at the same time is to jump on the “Paper-Free” Workplace bandwagon. Due to the recent developments in technology, in most instances where we would use paper, electronic equivalents or apps have begun to replace most processes that involved paper, this could even save you from needing that extra storage space! Offices are storing most of their information online, whilst catering and hospitality companies are all moving towards the digital using apps to communicate with their customers.
  
   
• Set yourself out from the crowd
  
  With the world gradually becoming a smaller space due to the internet and cheaper and easier travel, competition for clients has never been greater. How do you set yourself out from the crowd?
  According to a survey compiled by CGS, almost 70% of consumers admitted to changing their consumer behaviour and committing their brand loyalty to companies that operate in more sustainable methods. It also sends a strong message in the minds of your consumers; “Here at _________, we care about more than just profits!” Bringing me to my next point…
  
   
• Keep your workforce happy and attract like-minded individuals.
  
  Gone are the days when a person works in for their first day after finishing the required training and walks out of there retiring at 65. Job opportunities are everywhere nowadays so it’s difficult to attract the right talent and even harder to keep them with all the options they have available to them. Having a high staff turnover rate is a nightmare. Not only is it time-consuming and incredibly costly, but it greatly affects a business’s ability to be productive.
  An example of a popular trend that businesses are implementing is introducing plants into the workspace. This helps to combat the increase in pollution and make the air in their place of work, just that much fresher. They’re also proven to help stimulate ideas and create a more attractive work environment, and let’s admit it, some of them are very easy on the eye. Another popular trend is that companies, where possible, are allowing their employees to work from home. This reduces the emissions from transport and also give employees a better work-life balance

Unfortunately, we cannot tell exactly what will happen in the coming years because we have never been in this dire situation before. This leads to people not being convinced to change their behaviour. It is of the utmost importance that as business owners, and as human beings, we encourage eco-friendly solutions. Local actions add up to global solutions!!

Get in contact with us to talk about how to make your business more sustainable. Reach out to us on Facebook or give us a call on +356 79371629.