With environmental issues becoming more and more serious, a lot of people are worried about reducing their carbon footprint. Indeed, there is no denying that humans need to adopt a more sustainable lifestyle, as our current mode of living is just too hard on the planet.
When it comes to business, a lot of problems tend to occur as people try to balance the need for profit with the need for environmental protection. Let’s look at a few simple ways to reduce your business’ carbon footprint.
Incorporate Recycling And Re-Use
In many ways, reducing your carbon footprint is a matter of reducing waste. All goods require resources for extraction and processing, so you want to get the most out of each one. That’s why an environmentally-friendly business should try to recycle and re-use as much as possible.
In many cases, your company might be throwing away things that could be useful. It might be possible for you to re-sell your waste products for use in another industry, as this is a common practice. Even if you cannot find a use for your waste, it is important to recycle it in whatever way is appropriate.
According to the EPA, the recycling industry employs roughly 757,000 people. Obviously, job creation creates more wealth, which is generally good for the economy. A great way of incorporating recycling in your business is the usage of polythene products, which are 100% recyclable and made from carbon-neutral materials.
Start A Composting Program
Although this isn’t the case for all businesses, many of them tend to produce a lot of organic waste. Most often, this will be in the form of food wastes, but any organic trash can be turned into fertilizer through compositing. Thus, you can reduce your company’s waste (and, consequently, its carbon footprint) with a well-managed composting program.
Obviously, restaurants and other places that serve food can save the most, but even your company’s cafeteria can be a great source. According to this research, restaurants waste about 80 billion pounds of food each year. Much of the time, this problem comes from the issue of spoilage. If farmer John grows 300 tomatoes, and 100 of them go rotten before they are sold, you only have one option left: Turn those 100 rotten tomatoes into fertilizer so that they can then be turned back into food.
Think About Renewable Energy
Most of us don’t really think about where our electricity comes from, but it is an important thing to consider. At present, most of America’s electricity comes from fossil fuels like petroleum, coal, and natural gas. Fossil fuels, of course, are not sustainable. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), only 18% of the United States’ power comes from renewable sources.
With a little bit of an investment, you can make your company a good example for all environmentally-conscious people to follow. Solar and wind power has never been cheaper or easier, and in fact, we wonder why more people aren’t using this kind of setup. Consider looking into solar panels for your business. For example, you can simply search commercial solar New Mexico or solar panels for your business in Sacramento. Because eco-friendly individuals will be more likely to choose your company, you can make up for your initial costs before long.
Do An Energy Audit
As your company works to become a green one, you will probably make a few public announcements to that effect. Here’s the problem, though: If people see that your policies do not reflect your values, you will look like a hypocrite. No one likes a hypocrite, so you need to make sure that you clean up your house first.
You can do this with a simple energy audit. Take a detailed look at your entire process from start to finish. This should include literally everything your company does, from the acquisition of materials to the manufacture and distribution of finished goods (and everything else, too!). Identify all the areas in which waste exists and eliminate that waste. You might find this guide to be helpful when setting these kinds of policies.
Most companies don’t care about their environmental impact, as they are more concerned about the financial bottom line. However, these businesses are probably going to be forced into more responsible practices over time. Those who refuse to act responsibly will most likely fail, so you should make sure your company isn’t one of those left in the dust. We thank you for reading this article, and we hope that you have found it to be helpful.
