5 Tips to help you run a greener office
Why is it important for companies to be green?
Due to environmental issues it is increasingly important for businesses to create a greener office. Those companies that prioritise this will see the benefits through cost savings and may also enjoy the benefits of an enhanced reputation with staff and customers.
A simple and quick way to reduce your business’ environmental impact is to look at your energy use and also your use of office supplies.
Benefits of a greener office
Having a greener office will help reduce costs. The average business spends £10,000/year on utilities so there are great savings to be made through a reduction in the usage of electricity and wastage.
Green office products and stationery have now come down in price and are often comparable with standard office products so you can be green through simply changing your purchasing habits at limited additional cost.
Companies that are environmentally friendly often see a change in their employees' attitudes. Staff tend to take more care when using products which can lead to a reduction in the usage of electricity, ink and paper.
Companies need to play their part in tackling climate change and to act responsibly to the wider community but this action doesn’t have to be difficult, in fact it is often easier and almost always saves your business money.
Five tips to create a greener office
With just five simple steps you can make your office more environmentally friendly;
1. Recycle paper - Printing double sided is important to keep paper costs down as it helps to reduce usage of paper. Ideally having a recycle bin near a fax machine or copier can help to increase the amount of recycled paper in the office. It is also a good idea to have a scrap paper pile to be reused for personal or internal use.
2. Reduce electricity - Switching off office equipment and the lights when they are not needed when leaving the office will help reduce the usage of electricity as most of the time it is wasted by equipment being left on overnight.
Employees need to make sure equipment is switched off and changed to maybe energy saving settings which will help the company reduce cost. It is estimated that you can save about £30/person per year purely by shutting down your computer overnight.
3. Travel - Instead of driving into work maybe car sharing could be an option as it reduces emissions. Public transport could be also be an option, take the train, bus or cycle into work.
4. Reduce water usage - A lot of water is wasted when taps are dripping and left running therefore it is important to fix dripping taps and to make sure everyone contributes to saving water in the company, water saving devices should be fitted in toilets.
5. Products used - Reducing the amounts of hazardous chemicals purchased and stored can help have a lower impact on the environment. Avoid cleaning products such as chlorine-based bleach that can be harmful to health.
Green office supplies
It is important for companies to use green office supplies as it reduces overall resource consumption and waste. Generally, green products are now fairly economical, and in many cases, are no more expensive than standard products.
Employers that have long term goals for using green products will enhance their image as using recycled office supplies will change the attitude of staff who will take greater care to recycle products.
About the Author
This article has been provided by Euroffice, the UK's no1 online office supplies company. They have a dedicated greener office section offering 1,400 environmentally friendly stationery products to customers. New business customers can enjoy a 20% discount on their first order.
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