We hear a lot of buzz words these days like “sharing economy” or “circular economy”, and “carbon footprint”.  However, the evolution of being just a buzzword and the reality of the new world is now in a full collision, the time is now to become climate positive.

Companies must start thinking of how they can change the way they do their business to a new more sustainable way of life.

Have you even started thinking about how to make the appropriate changes to your company?  If you haven’t, here are a few things you can do that will kick start the process in the right direction:

 

1. Going Paperless

There are many advantages to a company going paperless. For one, up to 50% of business waste is paper products, which equates to more than 80, 000 trees. Converting to a paperless office can also support earth-friendly efforts like water conservation since each sheet of paper takes an average of five litres of water to make!

From a financial standpoint, you can drastically save on your supply costs (paper, printers, ink cartridges, file folders, staples, paperclips etc.)

You can be on your way to a paperless office by following a few of these simple steps:

  • Download documents and save on your server or to the cloud (don’t print!)
  • Paperless meetings – bring your laptop, share files on a screen
  • Use e-Signatures
  • Scanning documents

2. Reducing Travel

This can mean air travel or road travel.  You can easily reduce travel by using new technology for your meetings. Being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to adapt, but we could learn from it as well. Of course, you still need to have face to face time with customers, but instead of physically being in the same building you could be looking at a screen; there is software such as Zoom and Skype that are free and easy to use.  Nevertheless, some travel simply cannot be avoided so always question if the travel is an absolute necessity.  If it is not then, think of this as a new solution.

3. Minimizing single-use plastic                                                                                                                         

Encourage your staff to not use single-use plastic items.  Have water coolers available where your staff can fill up their reusable water bottle or cup as often as they’d like.  When purchasing inventory for use at the office buy the bulk size, thereby purchasing less often.  Alternatively, don’t stock your vending machine with any beverages that are in plastic bottles.

4. And of course, the 3 “R” rule: Reduce, Reuse & Recycle

This may be rudimentary enough, but showcasing sustainable procurement can act as an exercise to engage employees with thinking of ways they can reduce consumption of items such as paper, food and drink, laptops, phones and packaging. Both the manufacture and transport of all these items have an associated carbon footprint. Whether it be purchasing recycled paper, or refurbished phones and IT equipment is an easy way to reduce your business’s carbon footprint.

 

But there are other ways a company can reduce and recycle – their machinery, their space and their team.  How often is your conference room actually used?  Do you have downtime in your warehouse?  Do you have skilled employees not being used to their full capacity?  Do you have an overstock inventory that will end up in the garbage or going to the scrap heap?

 

We’re sure a lot of your answers maybe yes! If you really want to be part of the sharing economy, put your resources on our marketplace. Take a look, it’s free!

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