As the energy crisis pushes the cost of maintaining commercial property higher, such as a retail store, office space or warehouse, increasing your efforts to operate more sustainably may have upped its way up to your priority list. The pillars of sustainable working include reducing, reusing, and recycling; all of which can drive down company overheads and help curb the cost of living which is currently at a 30-year high.

Putting the financial interests of your business aside, every commercial entity has a responsibility to the planet which includes accounting for, offsetting and reducing its carbon footprint. A carbon footprint is the total amount of greenhouse gases emitted, including carbon dioxide and CO2 equivalents. When released into the air, these gases trap heat under the earth’s atmosphere and heat up the planet.

The beauty of building a greener business is that the opportunities are endless, and businesses can cherry-pick what strategies to adopt, providing they are feasible and affordable. Seek financial advice from your accountant to help you make informed decisions along the way.

When sourcing materials, building a supply chain and investing in your business, choose responsibly and always opt for the greener option. Here are a series of checks that you can perform to build a greener business.

Sourced responsibly

  • Procurement values - What practices are followed to produce and procure materials? For example, organic farming or the sustainable use of natural materials

  • Packaging - When selecting packaging, what features should you prioritise to ensure minimal harm to the environment? For example, reusable, biodegradable and compostable

  • Transportation: What considerations are taken when delivering materials? Less mileage, sustainable fuels and eco-friendly vehicles

Build a green supply chain

  • Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) policy - What does the ESG policy say about supplier values? The ‘environmental’ factor in ESG shows how businesses overcome environmental risks and operate responsibly, such as following ‘clean’ waste disposal, energy and transportation practices

  • Stakeholder interactions - It also addresses how the business interacts with all stakeholders, such as, implementing a sustainable supplier selection process, providing safe working conditions to employees and advertising to customers that align with the environmental values of the business

Restructure your workplace

  • Energy waste – Sometimes the most efficient mode through which to power up appliances may not likely be the most environmentally friendly. Encourage behavioural changes to reduce power usage and mitigate settings of office technology to eliminate the unnecessary and inefficient use of energy. The message is simple – ‘switch it off’ as employees leave the office/retail space
  • Heat waste - Substantially reduce energy consumption by better regulating property temperature so it’s comfortable all year round. Remove personal heaters to eliminate hot spots as this can disrupt heating controls and contribute to the inefficient use of heat

  • Standardise specification of office fit-outs – Standardise office furniture and equipment to increase its usage during its lifetime by reusing and redeploying to other offices, where required. Refine the selection process to ensure those specification decisions are made with renewable materials in mind where practicable to minimise waste and ensure a responsible delivery method

  • Review use of floorspace – Recognise that larger offices require more energy, so redoubling efforts to reduce storage and maximising the use of floorspace can reduce energy usage

Offset carbon emissions

Although we are making notable strides towards developing sustainable fossil fuel alternatives, many of these are not widely accessible for smaller businesses. As such, businesses and individuals can offset their carbon emissions, which essentially means compensating for emissions by reducing the equal amount from the environment. This is commonly achieved by paying into carbon offset projects, such as to a conservation charity or solar energy site.

Building a greener business can reap immediate rewards and add value to your services which is indispensable when trading in a saturated industry.

 

 

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