Every business is talking about environmentally conscious practices in the modern age because it’s no longer seen as risky to do so. Still, what does it actually mean when a business says they’re “going green”? In most cases, it seems like companies say one thing to save face but do quite another behind closed doors. The majority of businesses are still doing very little when it comes to saving the planet because they’ve got bigger fish to fry. However, there’s a strong link between saving the environment and creating a more successful business, and that’s something many companies still don’t realize.

Going green saves your business money. You might realize that already, but it’s not hard to figure out why. You’re cutting down on the things you use, so you’re saving money. It’s simple, straightforward, and it’s something any clever business which wants to improve its profit margin should be doing. You could be saving thousands. Still, if you’re wondering what it really means to “go green” in business and why your company should be doing it then this article might just help you out.

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Going green means saving money on energy bills.

So you can stop listening to all the naysayers who say that going green is commercial suicide for businesses. It doesn’t cost you more money to be environmentally conscious in the workplace; it costs you less. Think about it on a basic level. When you save electricity, you don’t just cut down the demand for energy and thus the pollution from power plants. In fact, you don’t just cut down the amount of energy wasted. You cut down on the amount of money your business spends on that energy, and you can likely attest to the fact that energy bills for a business (even if it’s only a “small” company) are massive; far larger than the meagre bill an average household would receive at the end of the month.

Your business could start implementing rules to turn off lights and computer screens, but it doesn’t have to stop there. Other utility bills, such as water usage, are also something you’ll want to cut down on; and you definitely should because water is a scarce but precious resource. You could opt for waterless urinals in the staff or customer bathrooms and motion-sensitive taps to avoid waste. An article over at entrepreneur.com also explains that energy-efficient appliances (e.g. smarter toasters or kettles in the breakroom) and other such products are fast becoming very popular in businesses around the world for the very simple reason that it saves those companies a lot of money. Of course, the benefit of knowing that your business has done something morally conscious also rests easily on the conscience, but it’s also a fantastic thing to promote to existing and potential customers in your target market. The importance of this will be expanded on later.

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Going green means recycling and disposing of waste smartly.

It’s important that your business knows what to do with the rubbish left behind from manufacturing processes or simply everyday office work on the premises. Waste is a consequence of human activity, and it’s unavoidable. Much like every living thing on earth, we have to use earth’s resources, and there’s always going to be leftover waste. Of course, as a business, this is amplified because of the nature of your continuous and large-scale operations (even if you’re a small company).

Your business has even more of a duty than the average household to be conscious about the byproduct (waste) of its processes. That’s why you might want to consider checking out samedayrubbishremoval.com.au for specialists in rubbish removal because you don’t want trash to be cluttering the area around your premises or your factories, whether it’s dangerous industrial waste or small-scale commercial junk. Everything we do leaves a footprint on the earth, and it’s important that your company minimizes this footprint by being smart about what it does with its waste.

You should want to be smarter about using fewer resources in the first place too. Cut down on waste by re-assessing business processes. Paper, for example, is an outdated resource in most cases; your business should be operating through the digital realm so as to backup documents more securely, send information far more easily, and cut down on waste as a final positive. You’ll save money, save the environment, and operate better as a business in the digital age.

Going green means smarter travel.

Transport is a huge contributor to the world’s pollution, and it’s something that you, along with most of your employees, rely on every single day. As suggested over at huffingtonpost.com, green transportation could hugely improve your business by encouraging your employees to save money through biking to work, being more sociable by carpooling (and cutting down on pollution), and perhaps even creating a healthier approach to travel if people start walking from place to place rather than always relying on a gas-guzzling car. You might even want to promote remote working for certain workers, as not only will that have the benefit of cutting out pollution through transport but it might mean you can save money on travel costs (it could mean lower salaries seeing as you no longer have to cover their transport).

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Going green means impressing customers.

This might be one of the most intriguing points to your business, and it’s one that you’ve probably considered before. We live in a very proactive age, and people are becoming more and more passionate about protecting the environment as we all become far more aware of the impact we’re having on our precious earth. The best way in which a business can impress consumers is by proving that it cares about important ethical issues affecting people. Ditch the business jargon, and talk about all the environmental things your business is doing. As explained over at australiantimes.co.uk, consumers will want to use your business’ products and services if they feel that you’re the most ethical option out there.

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Going green means a safer office environment for your workers.

This might seem like a strange point to end on, but it’s something that your business may not have even considered even if it’s enacted other environmental policies in the past. Your business’ office premises are likely regularly cleaned for the safety of employees, customers, or any other visitors because they can become very unclean places, as you likely already know. Phones and keyboards are handled excessively throughout the working day, picking up endless germs. You want to keep your employees not only working productively but working healthily too.

Of course, what you may or may not realize is that most cleaning agents aren’t only damaging to the environment but damaging the health of the human beings they’re supposedly protecting. It seems crazy, but it’s hardly surprising. Still, you don’t need to just shrug your shoulders and accept this fact. As suggested over at sheinformed.com, you could always opt for organic cleaning agents because they’re full of natural ingredients which are far less harmful to anyone who comes into contact with them. They don’t release toxins into the air, they don’t make people sick if accidentally ingested from touching a surface, and they’re kind to the environment. Your business will be winning on all levels. If you run a customer-facing business such as a restaurant (which relies on hygiene and cleanliness) then this is something you should most definitely be considering.

You can always promote your environmental and hygiene habits to impress customers, as mentioned earlier. There are really no downsides to your business by being smarter and more ethically conscious about the way you clean your premises and operate as a whole.