Four ways to decrease your firm’s environmental footprint

Young business man drawing a eco-friendly city on a glass boardBusiness leaders are on the environmental hot seat as more and more consumers question a company’s business practices. If you’re a business leader or CEO, it’s wise to take a closer look at ways that will improve your firm’s environmental footprint. Small changes can add up to big impacts. Consider these four tips for reducing your company’s impact on the environment.

  1. Switch to digital ink. While paper documents are still essential in some applications, companies can easily switch over to digitized documents in many instances. The paper a company uses may comprise a small amount of the drain on natural resources, but even so, reducing office trash is still a step in the right direction. And small steps have a way of inspiring people to go further in their conservation efforts. Good deeds are contagious and the desire to conserve can snowball into a significant initiative over time.
  2. Participate in local recycling programs. At the end of a recycling collection day, everyone walks away feeling good. And what business doesn’t want the positive publicity that comes from rolling out a recycling initiative?
  3. Conduct an annual review for redundancies. Every business produces waste. Enlist ideas from employees who work on the front lines. Their input is vital, because they observe what’s discarded and what’s wasted. Offer your employees prizes for the best in lean ideas to spur on the effort.
  4. Partner with utility companies to reduce usage. America’s utility companies do an amazing job in producing accurate numbers on the impact conservation has on a company. It’s always a win-win situation when a company cuts waste and garners goodwill at the same time. Be sure to tap their knowledge and expertise.