3 Tips for Running an Eco-Friendly Small Business

With so much interest in reducing our carbon footprint of late, many small businesses are seeking to get in on the ground floor of what it means to be running an eco-friendly company. For so many years, much of the world was in denial, but since so many of previous predictions have come to pass, consumers and businesses alike are gaining a new awareness.

Not only will you be doing your part to work towards a day when our reliance on fossil fuels will be put to rest, but you will also gain a much bigger audience among today’s consumers. Sustainability and a greater focus on the environment are key features they look for in businesses they deal with. If you are seeking ways to run an eco-friendly business, start with the following tips.

Use Technology as Much as Possible

When it comes to technology, you should look for ways in which technology can reduce our dependence on natural resources. For example, creating a virtual PO Box would significantly reduce the amount of paper we use in communications. The virtual PO box would be where mail is delivered and then scanned into the system so it can be accessed. Any replies could be made, at that point, via email or telephone communications, thereby reducing the amount of paper our businesses are using.

With a Physical Address PO box, the businesses and consumers sending USPS mail wouldn’t even know they are sending to a virtual address because those PO boxes with real addresses are no different than a PO box you would access in your local post office. After being scanned, the mail is then shredded and sent to recycling in most cases.

Create a Sustainable Company Culture

Another thing you can do to work towards an eco-friendly, sustainable small business environment is to create a sustainable company culture. While most companies print up a company manual, you would ‘print’ yours in PDF format so that it can be sent to each employee and they would send back a digital confirmation of having read the document. That could save reams and reams of paper in the course of a year, and what better way is there to save our diminishing forests than to reduce the amount of paper we use?

Focus on Eco-Friendly Sourcing

Also, sustainability in business is said to be circular. If we are truly going to work toward a sustainable, eco-friendly business environment, then it would stand to reason that we only sourced our materials and equipment with companies having a like-minded focus on the environment. It is imperative that we source our materials from businesses that have also begun reducing their reliance on fossil fuels, for example. Just as we have begun recycling and reusing wherever possible, we want to know that our suppliers are doing the very same things.

When it comes to working toward eco-friendly business operations, the impact we are having on the ecology should be of primary concern. All partners and suppliers we work with should be equally sustainable and together, our joint efforts, can bring us ever closer to a world that has little to no reliance on natural resources that aren’t at a bare minimum, being recycled. Together, businesses can create a greener world to leave to future generations – that is the goal.