Can you be more Green in your office ?
We bet that plenty of organisations have made the worthy resolution to make their offices much more environmentally friendly in 2015.
Also, new legislation will soon make corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting a requirement for publicly listed companies that have more than 500 employees. But CSR is good practice for any organisation – no matter its size. People trust companies that are socially responsible and they like companies that can boast green credentials.
But how do you do it? Here are our top ten tips on how to be more green in your office…
1. The first tip for going green in the office is to develop and implement a sustainable strategy. Put one person in charge of this and ensure that your employees can have an input. A green strategy should look at all the elements of your business – from purchasing, to transportation, to electricity use, recycling and more. Find a green champion in the business and get them on board, even help them lead the way.
2. Set measurable goals and celebrate success. Your company’s green strategy should have measurable goals and targets. When those goals are achieved, staff should be informed because it is their efforts that will have contributed to the success. Small rewards will make contributing to that success really desirable. If you are cautious about time and this all seems new to your company, take small steps at first.
3. Buy less – as the most sustainable purchase is the one that isn’t made. Encourage everyone to think before buying. Red Inc works with all its clients to fine-tune every vital step of the supply chain, and we can advise on office supplies purchases which exactly meet your needs.
4. Reduce and re-use. Work out what purchases can be reduced, what can be reused and finally, what can be recycled.
5. Look for local suppliers. Ideally look for businesses that are trying hard to be green, or that are shouting about what they are doing. Check your local awards or press. A local supplier is far more likely to be green, just by the nature of logistics and their footprint when delivering to you.
6. Consolidate your purchasing. Ask what else your suppliers have or can do / offer your business. Do any of your customers provide anything you buy elsewhere? Reciprocal business and consolidation is a great way of saving costs, reducing deliveries and vendors. All these are positives focus on reducing your green footprint, and making your business more efficient.
7. Reduce your paper use. Only print in colour when necessary and ideally choose the ‘draft setting’ (if your printer has this). Print and photocopy double-sided and avoid unnecessary printing – such as internal documents and emails. Why not agree a paper reduction target with your office supplier and work together to reduce it to the bare minimum. At Red Inc we accept that paper is vital to our business, but we can reduce it, cut out unnecessary waste and use recycled.
8. Choose sustainable office supplies. Red Inc supply an extensive range of recycled stationery that will enhance and support your sustainable business. And what’s more, we offer paper, toner and ink cartridge recycling for free with your office supplies service. Red Inc sells great, FSC virgin pulp paper and when you have used it, you can dispose of it in the recycling bins we provide you with. We will then collect the recycling bins and your paper will be recycled. We can then sell that paper to you at the same price as normal virgin pulp paper.
9. Look at energy use overall. Use energy efficient light bulbs and turn off lights in rooms and offices that aren’t being used. Make sure window vents are kept clear, so that the air can circulate freely. Alternatively if you want to go further there are plenty of cost reduction companies that can do the work for you. They cover a multitude of areas and services, if you are in the South-East area speak to www.auditel.co.uk.
10. Keep plants in the office. Plants can absorb some of the toxins in the air and they increase the flow of oxygen so that people will feel more energised. Spider plants and lemon balm make great office plants.
If you would like more advice about going green in your office, our team here at Red Inc would be delighted to help you, give us a call today on 0845 180 0005 or drop us a line to adam@red-inc.com