Small Business Tips That Support Sustainability & Efficiency

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As a small business owner, you can have a positive impact on the environment. This is possible by implementing practices to enable your business to be more sustainable and efficient.

Aim for Sustainable Shipping

If you must ship products to customers, make certain you are implementing sustainable shipping practices. Use biodegradable packaging and pack your goods in biodegradable filler such as paper shreds or starch-based packing peanuts. Also, pack your products as compactly as possible. Do not put goods in boxes that are too large as this increases trips which contribute to carbon emissions. Less trips means your business runs more efficiently as customers receive packages quicker, and less time is spent on the road.

Make Your Business Establishment Sustainable

If your business has a brick-and-mortar location, you must take steps to ensure that it is sustainable. If you can, use renewable energy. Furthermore, you can put automated demand response controls in place to minimize the use of utilities which will help with significant energy savings. If you have no control over the type of energy being used because you are renting your space, check to see where you can cut down on energy consumption.

Use Materials That Are Ethically Sourced

The first step for making your small business sustainable and more efficient is to use materials that are ethically sourced. When you use ethically sourced materials, you are contributing to making a more sustainable world overall. To make sure your materials are ethically sourced, some questions you can ask suppliers are:

• Are all materials sustainably sourced?

• Are all materials fairtrade.

• Are products constructed from materials that are renewable, Recyclable or biodegradable?

• Does your company implement green procurement practices?

Use Eco-Friendly Storage

If you must store inventory, you need to take steps to guarantee that you are utilizing eco-friendly storage options. Ideally, the building where you are storing your inventory must use renewable energy and green storage containers.

Go Paperless

The next step to ensuring your small business is efficient and sustainable is to go paperless. According to the University of Southern Indiana, the average person in the United States uses approximately 7 trees annually for paper and other products that require trees for manufacturing, and this amounts to approximately 2 billion trees being destroyed each year. Going paperless will cut down on environmental waste as well as increase storage space. Additionally, going paperless will also significantly reduce clutter. Reducing clutter improves organization which will ensure you and your employees will work more efficiently. Some tips for going paperless are to store all important documents in the cloud, communicate with clients and employees electronically and send receipts using text or email.

Allow for Remote Working

Another tip to implement to make your business more sustainable and efficient is to allow your employees to work remotely. Transportation is the second largest source of carbon emissions in the United States. Commuting to and from work is the most stressful part of the workday, and it contributes to preventable health conditions such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol. What is more, commuting to and from work disrupts the work and life balance which can have a negative impact on mental health. Preventable mental health issues contribute to lost productivity which, in turn, contributes to lost revenue. When you allow your employees to work remote, you cut down on the carbon footprint, and your employees will be more productive.

Use Eco-Friendly Packaging

Another way to make your business more sustainable and efficient is to use eco-friendly packaging. If possible, use paper instead of plastic. If you must use plastic, make sure your plastic packaging is constructed from one type of material. Plastics consisting of two types of polymers cannot be recycled. Ideally, biodegradable packaging is best and must always be your first option for packaging.

Conclusion

After you make the effort to ensure your small business is sustainable and more efficient, show this off to your clientele. Many people today are becoming more environmentally aware and desire to do business with companies that are sustainable and efficient. One way you can show customers that your business is sustainable and efficient is to obtain a green certification. Examples of green certifications include a Green Business Bureau certificate, B Corp Sustainability certification and a Green C Certification.