As businesses now fully recognise the importance of helping to drive positive change for our planet, sustainability has risen higher on their agenda in recent years.
But the benefits of a greener office don’t stop at saving the planet. From increased productivity to improved environmental awareness and happier and healthier employees, the gains for businesses are many.
So what can companies do to improve their green credentials and drive positive change?
1. Environmentally friendly equipment
Thinking green when furnishing an office space is an easy win. When selecting furniture elements or equipment, paying attention to product certifications, such as FSC-certified wood can help ensure raw materials are sourced responsibly.
Exploring viable options to reuse or repurpose materials or existing furniture is the first step towards achieving set sustainability goals while creating a space that reflects the company ethos and brand.
"Although it used to be quite difficult to find suitable equipment and environmentally friendly furniture, many manufacturers now think about nature. Several offices utilise boards made of agglomerated materials that contain zero harmful formaldehyde, as well as seating furniture made from recycled plastic waste from the sea."
2. Save on your energy bill
Technology is a key element for most office spaces, but it’s also responsible for high energy consumption. Adopting internal company policies to ensure all equipment is switched off or set to sleep mode when unutilised is a great start. The biggest savings however will come from lighting and heating. Smart office systems can provide solutions to cut energy consumptions. Evaporative coolers, and air source heat pumps are all technologies which only use a fraction of conventional systems.
3. Go paperless and cut down plastic
Research shows that up to 45% of papers printed in the office end up in the trash on the same day. Cutting down on print outs by encouraging employees to maximise digital communication as well as choosing products with less or recyclable packaging can help businesses reduce their waste, and therefore their carbon footprint.
4. Bring your own coffee cup
If your office building has a coffee shop that makes coffee to go, encourage employees to bring their own mugs or reusable cups. While it may be easier to have a drink poured into a disposable cup, one single person can become responsible for producing a huge amount of waste.
5. A packaging-free kitchen
When it comes to the shared kitchen area, no-packaging stores provide a big help in terms of sustainability. From basic supplies such as packaging-free sugar, coffee, dishwashing liquid and snacks, this is also an easy solution to ensure the purchase of the needed amounts, hence reducing waste.
6. And while we're in the kitchen
Another quick one comes from deploying economical taps or aerator faucets, which save a large amounts of water in the long run. Most solutions can also be retrofitted.
7. Lunch boxes
Most businesses will have their favourite go-to restaurants for lunch, often bringing back a paper or plastic packaging. Encouraging staff to take a box from home with them Most modern restaurants will have no problem putting food in your own box. Single-use restaurant boxes produce a large amount of waste.
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