Beyond recycling bins: Building sustainability in the workplace

Sustainability in the workplace is no longer what it used to be. The world is changing, and sustaining our work environment has gone beyond having recycling bins at office entrances. It now demands having a robust eco-friendly strategy. 

Business owners and managers globally are entering a new level of environmental consciousness. They’re realizing that traditional sustainability methods are limited in their scope. Therefore, protecting the environment and providing employees with a healthy and safe space now requires a more strategic approach.  

The workforce is also a part of this sustainability revolution. 35% of employees believe implementing sustainable work practices would increase productivity. So, if there’s any time your company needs to buckle up and draw up a comprehensive plan for building sustainability in the workplace, it is now.  

What is a sustainable workplace?

If you’ve ever wondered how your business affects the environment, you have an idea of workplace sustainability that refers to how eco-friendly your business processes, systems, and practices are. 

The process of building a sustainable workplace involves incorporating environmentally friendly principles into your business operations, culture, and approaches. The end goal is to reduce the adverse effects your business has on the environment, improve the working conditions of employees, protect the community in which your workplace is located, and promote the company’s resilience in the long term. 

Why do businesses need a comprehensive strategy to build a sustainable workplace?

A robust eco-sensitive strategy has become necessary in today’s world. Traditional sustainability methods won’t cut it anymore. Now, businesses must put more effort into creating a comprehensive strategy for building a sustainable workplace.

Here are a few reasons why creating an eco-friendly workplace is no longer negotiable:

1. Global awareness

Workplace sustainability is essential in this modern era because environmental sustainability is now a big deal worldwide. There’s a global wind of environmental awareness blowing and every industry is involved. This awareness is making many progressive companies take deliberate steps to reduce their carbon footprints. 

2. Social responsibility

Social responsibility demands that companies comply with sustainability requirements and have a strategy. Companies have a social responsibility to promote a safe and healthy workplace. Socially responsible organizations attract the best talents and are respected and valued.

3. Sustainability compliance 

Compliance is another reason modern businesses strive to maintain workplace sustainability. With the eco-friendly wave blowing globally, governments and other regulatory institutions are getting stricter with sustainability compliance. Therefore, companies must comply with relevant rules and regulations and have a solid sustainability strategy.

7 Practices you must include in your workplace sustainability strategy

Now that it is established that a robust eco-friendly strategy is essential for any progressive organization, what should this strategy include? Here are seven practices that must be included in your sustainable workplace approach.

Invest in renewable energy

Your sustainability strategy is not complete without the use of renewable energy. Renewable energy sources like solar, hydropower, and wind have numerous advantages that promote eco-friendliness in the workplace. These sources produce little or no greenhouse gas emissions, therefore, they’re very effective in reducing carbon footprints.

Leverage battery management software

Logistics are the lifeblood of our entire economy, but we are all well aware of the environmental consequences they may have.

If your company operates in supply chain and logistics, figuring out how you can be more efficient while helping sustainability is crucial. Integrating Elysia battery management software is one effective solution for achieving both efficiency and sustainability in your supply chain and logistics operations. This advanced software plays a crucial role in optimizing your fleet’s battery performance, which positively impacts your overall operational efficiency and environmental responsibility. 

Often, fleet management is overlooked when mapping out a sustainability plan for the workplace. This is a costly mistake, as an action as simple as adopting battery management software can make a massive difference in sustainability outcomes. 

When this software is installed onto the battery management system (BMS), you get real-time estimation and control. Using telematics technology, this software provides actionable insights that maximize your fleet’s batteries’ lifetime, safety, and performance. The longer your batteries last, the fewer you have to replace, reducing your carbon footprint.

Embrace paperless solutions

The production of paper and ink consumes a lot of energy, so you can help decrease this energy consumption by operating a paperless office. To do this, embrace digital solutions that eliminate as much paper and ink as possible in your operations. 

airSlate Workflow will help you streamline your business processes and promote collaboration by way of automated document workflows, eSignatures, and so much more. The more of these digital solutions you use, the less need you’ll have for paper and ink. In the long term, this action reduces your company’s negative environmental impact.

Declutter your emails

Emails have an impact on the environment. In the modern workplace, emails are the primary communication channel with clients, partners, vendors, etc. Hence, most work emails are taking up so much cloud space. Some of these emails are no longer relevant yet still occupy precious space.

Now, cloud space uses electricity, mainly generated by fossil fuels. As part of your corporate effort at saving the planet, ensure you declutter your emails. Remove old and irrelevant emails and attachments to free up space and conserve energy. 

Set up a green team

Creating a sustainable workplace should be a culture. Set up a sustainability or green team to ensure this culture is maintained. This team will be responsible for brainstorming creative ways to achieve your corporate eco-friendly goals. 

This group is responsible for developing strategies and initiatives to conserve resources and reduce the company’s carbon footprint. That’s only part of their role; this team will ensure the company complies with relevant rules and regulations. 

Incentivize public transportation 

If most of your staff come to work in their cars, they emit loads of carbon monoxide. That counts as part of your company’s carbon footprint. To reduce this, offer your employees incentives for coming to work with public transportation. This act will encourage as many people as possible to leave their cars, reducing emissions and protecting the environment. 

Switch to eco-friendly cleaning products 

Most cleaning products are made with harsh chemicals that are not biodegradable and are unsafe for human use. Also, many conventional cleaning products are made without consideration of wildlife ecosystems. The processes used in manufacturing these products harm the environment and you should not be an enabler. Opt for green alternatives instead. 

5 Benefits of a sustainable workplace strategy

Having a solid, sustainable workplace strategy is not only beneficial to the environment, but it also has numerous advantages for the company, employees, and community. Here are some benefits of investing in a viable workplace eco-friendly plan.

1. Cost savings 

While you aim solely to protect and improve the environment, you also get long-term savings from committing to workplace sustainability. Renewable energy might cost a tidy sum initially, but it saves costs in the long run. The same principle applies to battery management software. Over time, the amount you spend on batteries reduces. It’s the same with other sustainable practices – you save money in the long term. 

2. Compliance with environmental rules and regulations 

Companies have to comply with environmental guidelines regulating their industry. Failure to adhere to these rules attracts penalties that could harm the organization’s growth and reputation. Having a sustainability strategy helps you comply with these regulations and avoid sanctions.

3. Improved efficiency 

A solid workplace eco-friendly plan helps streamline and optimize your business operations, leading to more efficient work processes. For example, embracing a paperless policy involves adopting digital solutions that optimize workflows and improve efficiency. Also, setting up a green team helps the company discover and block operational loopholes, improving efficiency.

4. Attraction of the best talents

Employees like to work at companies that value environmental sustainability and implement best practices. And this is expected as people perform better in a healthy and safe workspace. When you have a strong workplace eco-friendly strategy, you boost employee morale. You also attract and retain the best talents.

5. Enhanced community relations

A well-implemented workplace eco-sensitive strategy improves community relations. When you deploy practices that protect the environment, the community you’re located in appreciates your efforts, leading to a strengthened relationship, and developing a pleasant relationship with your community results in business growth. 

A sustainable workplace strategy – the sure path to achieving corporate sustainability goals 

The difference between set goals and achieved goals is strategy. With a solid strategy in place, achieving your corporate sustainability goals would be easier. An eco-friendly approach to the workplace has become necessary in today’s world of global awareness, social responsibility, and sustainability compliance. 

When developing a sustainability strategy for your business, integrate modern practices like leveraging battery management software, using renewable energy, embracing paperless solutions, decluttering emails, creating a green team, incentivizing public transportation, and opting for eco-friendly cleaning products.

Implementing an eco-sensitive plan for your workplace is not without reward. The benefits include cost savings, sustainability compliance, enhanced efficiency, attracting the best talents, and improved community relations. 

A good strategy becomes even better if it’s continually improved upon. Therefore, you must stay abreast of trends and constantly work on your sustainability strategy for better outcomes.