It is not only becoming a legal responsibility for a company, regardless of the industry in which it is based or the size and scope of the business, to be more environmentally conscious, but moreover a moral obligation as well.

Furthermore, as people across the length and breadth of both this country and beyond are finally waking up to the absolute necessity of protecting the natural environment around them and planet earth in general, it is more than likely that if your company is not eco-friendly, then they may well choose to conduct business elsewhere.

Switch to Only Sustainable Suppliers

One of the major ways you can work to become a more eco-friendly company is to make the switch to only using sustainable suppliers. There is little to no point in doing everything you can do to make your own company eco-friendly if you are still actively supporting and even promoting other businesses that are not.

There are a number of ways to check whether a company is sustainable in ethics and practice, including the following:

• Find out about the company ethos and mission statement
• Conduct research on their official website
• The more open and honest a company is, the more likely it is that they have nothing to hide
• Find any certifications or proof of meeting environmental protection standards

Always Book Public Transport or Arrange Car Shares

If your business model, and the provision of your services and/or products require many of your employees to visit other businesses and travel, then you should make the switch to booking public transport or car shares as a pose to paying for their gas and allowing them to travel by car. 

Whilst you are putting into place your various methods and initiatives to reduce your company’s overall carbon footprint, it is strongly advisable to use a simple yet effective Carbon Emissions Calculator from a reputable and renowned website.

Only Buy Second Hand

Another fundamentally effective way to start reducing your company’s carbon emissions is to, from now on and moving forward, only purchase second-hand and rejuvenated furniture, office supplies and even information technology. 

Buying used office furniture, for example will not only mean that your business saves money, but will also result in a much slower depletion of natural materials (only if other companies follow your example).

Recycle…Everything!

Finally, the simplest of all methods to drastically reduce your own carbon emissions is to start to recycle absolutely everything your company throws away. 

Implementing a much greener working culture and ethos throughout your business and through the entirety of your company’s hierarchical structure is an ongoing process and recycling is a fantastic place to start.

Other Ways to Reduce Carbon Emissions

Aside from the ones discussed in detail above, there are also a variety of other ways your company can reduce its carbon emissions:

• Only use recycled resources
• Use electric cars or at least hybrid cars and other vehicles
• Hold meetings and events online
• Invest in top quality green office equipment