If you are planning to start an entrepreneurial venture, standing out in the crowd of thousands is of paramount importance. While envisioning something elusive is a good way to differentiate yourself, going green or rather involving eco-friendly operational techniques is also a highly responsive technique to stay in the limelight. There are many who would be surprised to know that green business strategies can positively impact the bottom line of a brand.
Moreover, with global warming shaping up as a monumental threat, it is necessary that smaller and even bigger corporations take the responsibility upon themselves to operate in a more responsible and eco-friendly manner.
In the next few sections, we shall enlist some of the best and simplest strategies that businesses can start following immediately to perpetuate a sense of green operation besides adhering to the eco-friendly standards:
1. Start conserving water
Charity begins at home and for a business, the eco-friendly approach starts right at the office. Saving water is, therefore, an elementary approach that would concern business owners and employees to fix the faucets and taps to avoid wastage of water. A good way to go about the same is to recruit a plumber for the job, precisely to understand the loopholes which might be hindering water conservation. Whilst this might seem like a small step, it is expected to be extremely productive in the long run, provided thousands of businesses start following this approach.
A good way to go about the same is to audit the water taps while even going as far as envisioning waterless urinals for the concerned workplace. In addition to that, some of the other low-flow options, urinals, gray toilers, rainwater harvesting, and xeriscaping are also in fashion.
2. Concentrate on PCW
Post-consumer waste is an integral part of the business operations and companies must be vigilant regarding the disposal and recycling of the same. Products that are PCW labeled are known to be eco-friendly and completely recyclable. Therefore, a good way for businesses to operate in a more eco-friendly manner is to opt for better packaging, paper-specific essentials, and products — precisely by opting for the PCW paper. However, the PCW label might vary depending on the quality and recyclability of the same.
3. Opt for biodegradable cleaners
If you are planning to clean the workplace, going green would always be an advisable option. This would mean that you need to let of the regular laundry detergent, shampoo, and soap extracts whole concentrating more on the environmentally sustainable options. The first strategy, however, is to include organic and non-toxic cleaning essentials into the mix.
4. Encourage carpooling
As a business owner, you can tweak the conveyance and related options for the employees. If you are actually looking to go green with the operations, it is necessary that carpooling is introduced. The main aim of carpooling is to minimize fuel utilization and therefore the overall population. As multiple individuals will be boarding the same car, it would be easier to lower the associated emissions.
5. Make way for green batteries
Every business needs to work with some form of electronics, which are usually run by batteries. It is important to note that most of the existing batteries are made of unethically sourced and extracted metals, which is detrimental to the environment. The likes of green batteries like Samsung 25r, ones using sodium and salt-based chemistries, liquid-centric technologies, and paper-empowered concepts need to be prioritized as a step towards a green operation.
6. Conduct energy audits
In simpler words, a business must measure and periodically determine the energy leaks and other discrepancies in the existing work model of the organization, in the form of audits. In the end, it all comes down to how energy reserves, specifically electricity is used.
Moreover, it is a known fact the businesses incur massive losses if the energy usage goes unchecked as based on surveys, almost 20% of the overhead costs are due to the energy-centric loopholes. There are certain organizational bodies that even conduct free energy audits while fixing the issues sans additional costs.
7. Add energy-efficient gadgets
There are certain office-centric appliances that have star-ratings against them, precisely to ascertain the energy consumption pertaining to each. A more eco-friendly approach would be to replace the old appliances with the new ones having 5-star ratings, specifically to minimize energy consumption. While some demographics have star ratings to show the quality of internal wiring and lower electrical consumption, there are certain regions where yellow tags are present to denote the possibility of better environmental and economic savings.
8. Opt for an alternative energy source
If you are a business owner, then you have the choice to opt for a green energy source by replacing the same with the existing electric supply. Certain countries offer the flexibility and option to the business owners for selecting the source of their power supply. Green Power, therefore, can be selected by businesses that are looking to make a difference to the existing environmental landscape. It needs to be understood that green energy comes at a higher cost as they are derived from wind, solar power, hydropower, plant matter, and geothermal sources. As extracting and converting the energy into a more usable form is difficult, the costs are usually on the higher side.
However, the final choice to incorporate green energy sources is with the business owners and they can either opt for the same or skip, depending on the financial positioning of the firm.
9. Make way for green web hosting
As we all know that online visibility is of paramount importance in regard to amplifying reach, businesses that are willing to make a difference must only work with green-web hosting firms for getting the job done. This concerns connecting with hosting firms that are already associated with purchasing carbon offsets and using green energy. Moreover, if you are getting associated with green web hosting firms, even organizational credibility gets a major boost.
While these are some of the best strategies that can be followed by businesses for including eco-friendliness within the operations, there are certain bottlenecks that are still hindering the global adoption of these techniques.
Firstly, most firms are still ignorant, either about the looming environmental threats or about the techniques that can help minimize the same. Secondly, financial positioning is also an issue that is stopping most small businesses to incorporate the likes of carpooling and green electricity into the mix. However, both of these loopholes can be fixed if businesses start with the elementary processes for green operations, at the beginning. Be it fixing the water splurging or replacing old and outdated appliances with the new ones, the basics of green operations are sustainable and way easier to follow as compared to the more celebrated techniques.
Implementing these nine strategies can easily save businesses a lot of money. Apart from that, these are the foundation of green business and if companies start abiding by the mentioned guidelines, it becomes easier for them to get the recognition they deserve. Green operations, or rather eco-friendly functioning, is one aspect that has long been ignored by entrepreneurs. However, with the world fast shifting towards an environmental crisis, restraint is imminent and it is obvious that businesses abide by the mentioned strategies and add value to the existing ecological domain.
Read more: business.com
