How to improve sustainability in your business

I’m part of a growing trend of people who have more than one way of earning money. As well as being employed three-days per week in the education sector, I run a marketing and PR business. Like all aspects of my lifestyle, I do what I can to consider my impact on the environment when I am running my business activities.

If you’re looking to improve the eco-friendliness of your enterprise, here are three easy ways to lower the carbon footprint of your business. You might also be interested in this great post on 10 best books for small businesses.

Choose eco-friendly packaging

Working in PR and marketing means I have to send a fair bit of post. Personally I love getting a PR parcel every now and then! But it’s important to think about being green when you are choosing packaging and make sure it is eco-friendly.

I also sometimes have to send quirky items such as curated packages. I need bespoke packaging for this, and companies like Lil Packaging, who not only provide all manner of unique packaging, are committed to sustainability. So they are a perfect match to support my business needs.

Making use of video-conferencing

Obviously with the restrictions on movement due to the pandemic, business travel has significantly reduced. Even before this, I was a firm believer in only travelling if absolutely necessary. Sometimes, a face to face meeting is really important. But there are tonnes of catch-ups and conversations that are just as effective over the phone or video -conference.

So even when life returns to normal, I’ll still be embracing Zoom and reducing my mileage.

Reduce paper consumption

Even before taking into account my carbon-footprint, I really don’t like having loads of printed sheets around. I therefore try to print as little as possible, and recycle what I have used. I have also switched to paperless bank statements and other bills to ensure less paper is used to send letters that can be digitally viewed.

For documents that I do need a hard copy of, I buy recycled printer paper.

These are just some of the ways you can easily begin to improve sustainability in your business. Keep looking for new ways and you’ll be green before you know it.

If you like the idea of working from home, here’s a great post on genuine work from home jobs. You might also want read more about how to invest sustainably.

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