Business Sustainability
On this page we look at:
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Why is business sustainability so important?
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Office sustainability - where can you save the most amount of money?
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Other sustainable ideas for businesses and,
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How to get staff on board
If you have any great sustainability tips for businesses please let me know at the Get in Touch section at the bottom
of the page.
Why is business sustainability so important?
It's unfortunate, but there are a lot of businesses who are more interested in how much profit they make and not being socially responsible or taking responsibility for the role they have in creating emissions contributing to climate damage.
However it's businesses and governments that are the the key to creating a safe future for our kids and planet.
If all businesses focused on investing in a circular economy, imagine the amount of waste and natural resources we could save. Click here for the meaning of circular economy.
The Business Council of Australia has agreed - Global businesses support climate action that enhances competitiveness, see the joint statement here.
Imagine if all levels of government had contracts whereby all procurement had to be with a business who's products were made from recycled materials and Australian made.
It would be great if new industries emerge where majority of our waste is re-used, repurposed or recycled into another product. Industries where everything they make is from recycled materials.
Do you want that too? How can we make that happen? Let me know any ideas you have at the contact section below.
Being sustainable around the office will save you $$
Electricity is a major cost for businesses.
A lot of people see the advantage of installing solar panels.
Here are a few ways to save money by being sustainable, but for a more comprehensive (not exhaustive) list, check out this easy tick and flick guide!
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monitor electricity bills and investigate spikes;
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make sure air conditioners are running at the most economical temperature, including settings for timers;
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turn all lights off that are not needed, including over night and on weekends;
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switch all computers and other appliances off overnight and on weekends;
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send all correspondence via email;
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if you must print, print double sided and
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check for water leaks.
Other sustainable ideas for businesses
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Do you live in an area where there is no recycling for businesses? Lobby your local council!
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Partner with your local Chamber of Commerce & Industry Queensland - ecoBiz group (QLD, small-medium businesses only) for a free consultation including free site visits, to show how your business can save money by implementing sustainable practices or NABERS for NSW businesses. However there is a fee to obtain a national rating from NABERS. If you know of other similar groups in other states, please let me know at the below contact section
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Join groups that help businesses be sustainable like Aspire - Empowering businesses to exchange waste as a resource, and
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Here is a great list of 8 important sustainable business practices
Here is an amazing webinar from ecoBiz that has business owners and managers talking about how they have implemented sustainable practices and the money they have saved.
One larger business saved $50 000 in costs for waste removal by recycling!
Check this out and start saving money now!
How do I get staff on board?
Sometimes staff and managers don't see the value of being sustainable. Some ideas to remedy the situation are:
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Training - include sustainability in inductions
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staff rewards and competitions
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education
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fostering better cultures, i.e. being sustainable becomes the norm, its like changing your underwear, you don't think about it - you just do it!
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include sustainable practices like turning off your computer and printer at the end of the day in Duty/Task Lists and,
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depending on business finances, buy staff a bike or electric scooter to get around on.
Make it easy for staff by separating bins and have notices above that clearly identify what is to go in them.
