Today is Earth Day – a day when we all typically stop and reflect on the world we live in, the environment, our impact on it and the importance of living a more sustainable life to protect and restore damaged ecosystems. However, it is inevitably important to recognise that Earth Day is just one day and, in reality, the pressure is on us to make a permanent change to how we live to save our world.
A key place for that to start is with businesses. Still, while many business owners recognise the importance of this and want to make a difference, it can be challenging to know where to start with making sustainable changes to your operations.
The key thing to remember is that even making a small change matters! Take a look at these two quotes for inspiration:
“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little” – Edmund Burke
“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it” – Robert Swan
So, first things first: make your approach simple. Here at Capsule Marketing, we work hard to reduce our impact on the environment, and where we can’t reduce our impact, we offset it.
How can you do this too? Here are some top tips and suggestions from us on changes you can make in your workplace or business operations to create a more sustainable workplace:
1) Make travel electric
It’s likely, not possible to remove all travel from your business operations. However, it is possible to swap some, if not all, of your company vehicles for electric alternatives. Electric vehicles are better for the environment than petrol or diesel engines as they emit fewer greenhouse gases and air pollutants. In fact, EDF Energy states that:
“Put simply, electric cars give us cleaner streets making our towns and cities a better place to be for pedestrians and cyclists. In over a year, just one electric car on the roads can save an average 1.5 million grams of CO2. That’s the equivalent of four return flights from London to Barcelona.”
So switching to an electric fleet is a straightforward change your business can make!
2) Reduce travel where possible
If we learnt anything from the coronavirus pandemic, it’s how effective the introduction of home working can be. With plenty of tools available for hosting video meetings, it’s a lot easier to reduce the amount of travel your business needs. If you’re not ready to go completely remote, introducing a set amount of days per week for working from home helps to reduce the number of vehicles commuting to and from the office every day.
3) Cycle-to-work schemes
As an employer, you’ll be keen to offer a substantial benefits package to your employees to build employee retention and well-being. Wouldn’t it be great if this could go hand-in-hand with your efforts to go greener? Cycle-to-work schemes are a perfect example of this: employees can benefit from discounts on bikes and cycling schemes and therefore feel supported and encouraged to cycle to and from work.
4) Introduce recycling & composting
Every office space or place of business has waste, so a simple change businesses can make is to introduce a recycling and composting solution. You know those coffee pods and tea bags your workforce thrives on? Swap them for compostable alternatives and introduce a compost bin to help eliminate food waste in an environmentally-friendly way, i.e. without adding to the landfill. Plus, it can be used in your surrounding areas to help gardens and planters thrive. Recycling bins are also a great way to separate recyclable materials from waste.
5) Carbon-balanced printing & recyclable materials
We are experts in all things digital, so our business naturally leans to a digital storage solution, reducing the need for paper. However, you don’t need to be an expert to do this. Choosing digital solutions will not only improve your organisation and filing but also reduces your need for print. And, when you do need to print, opting for a carbon-balanced printing service with sustainable products is the best choice, and there are plenty of suppliers out there.
6) Choose like-minded partners
From clients to suppliers, placing importance on those with a similar eco-conscious ethos is a great way to improve your business’ environmental sustainability. Be aware of your industry and how it impacts the environment, and take accountability by partnering with suppliers who are making a change. For example, data centres worldwide are responsible for hosting websites, contributing to an estimated 2% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. So, we partner with UK Fast to host all of our client’s websites on their carbon-neutral web hosting platform.
7) Plant trees
And finally, where you cannot completely reduce your carbon footprint, look for solutions to offset this. At Capsule Marketing, we work with Forest Carbon to do this and have been planting trees with them for the past 12 years.
Although we may not be flawless and fully sustainable, we are committed and will continue our ongoing efforts. If all businesses pause to consider their current carbon footprint and implement some minor modifications, we can make a significant impact together. If you want to partner with a similar-minded business, don’t hesitate to contact us today and read more about sustainability at Capsule.
Ready to make a change?
Happy Earth Day!
