Sustainability is a prevalent issue in today’s socio-political landscape, and many consumers are actively seeking environmentally friendly and socially responsible businesses.
Surveys have found that 55% of consumers are willing to pay more for eco-friendly brands, showing how much modern customers prioritise sustainability. While some environmentally friendly measures are more unrealistic for small businesses – such as implementing bee hives into your office infrastructure – there are cost-effective measures you can take to improve your business’ environmental impact.
Sustainable business ideas
Small adjustments to your business practices can make a big difference to your overall waste and carbon footprint. Many of these examples will also reduce your bills or office expenses, making it a win-win.
- Consider setting up recycling stations around the office and having fewer bins so bin liners are not needlessly replaced.
- Aim to reduce single-use plastics such as cups, cutlery, or packaging and instead swap for biodegradable or reusable options.
- Switch to being paper-free and go digital for your forms, invoices, or files. If this isn’t possible, implement restrictions on printer usage.
- Avoid using AI, as this has shown to have a negative environmental impact and requires extensive water use.
- Invest in heat retentive measures in the office to reduce heat loss, and only turn on the heating or air conditioning when necessary.
- Solar panel installation and switching to low-energy/motion-sensing lightbulbs can reduce your energy bills while helping the environment.
- Introduce cycle-to-work schemes or hybrid working arrangements to cut back on carbon emissions from your employees commuting by car.
- Switch to renewable energy suppliers and partner with eco-friendly manufacturers
- Apply to become ISO 14001 certified, which will highlight that you are a sustainable business with an awareness of your environmental impact
For more advice on growing your small business, check out our All Things Business Knowledge Hub.
