The need for us all to adopt more sustainable ways of living and working is ever present. It’s important for businesses to know how they can contribute to the ongoing repair and protection of the environment.

How to make your small business more sustainable

Fortunately there are lots of ways your small business can become more sustainable, both in the short and long term:

• Going paperless with your accounts and bookkeeping
• Embracing the benefits of remote working
• Getting stuck into community initiatives
• Levelling up your energy efficiency
• Supporting your local economy
• Investing in planet-friendly packaging

It’s common knowledge that one of the first things we should all be doing to be more mindful of the planet is to cut back on our paper consumption. A great way for small businesses to do this is with paperless bookkeeping and accounting software. It’s something which will come as a positive impact of the ongoing Maxing Tax Digital (MTD) initiative anyway.

Rather than printing out all of your receipts, invoices and financial reports, do things the digital way instead. Not only will you reduce the negative effect on the environment, you’ll also find your workspace has a lot less clutter as a result.

Less employees in the office means less commuting, and therefore less traffic on the road pumping out harmful gases. It will also help cut back on your business’s energy consumption. You might even be able to consider moving to a smaller workspace as your workforce become more agile.

Introducing remote working is often welcomed by employees, too, so you’ll be able to offer it as a perk. There are even expenses that you can claim for working from home.

It’s not just the things that you can do inside the business that count, there are contributions you can make within the wider community too. Check out what eco-centric projects, schemes and initiatives are running in your local area and see how you and your employees can get involved.

Perhaps it’s community litter picking or a tree planting scheme – whatever it is, use it as the perfect excuse to gather your colleagues for a social get-together with sustainability in mind. You’ll be doing your bit as a business and nurturing colleague relationships at the same time. If there aren’t any schemes running already, why not start one?

Make sure to shout about it on your social media to help spread the word, and get more people on-board with planet-friendly community projects.

Auditing your utilities is an excellent way to start upping the ante in terms of business sustainability. Check your energy usage and spending, and crosscheck it against alternative suppliers, keeping a particularly close eye on those offering more ‘green’ energy consumption.

You’ll be pleased to hear that saving money and protecting the planet are two missions you can embark on at the same time! Communicate your efforts to the workforce, and implement an eco-minded company culture, with everyone working together towards sustainability.

Other effective ways to improve your energy efficiency include:

• Switching to LED bulbs
• Sensor-automated lights
• Working in spaces with plenty of natural light (to limit use of electrical light)
• Install a smart thermostat
• Encourage employees to switch off devices before leaving the office
• Switch to a water machine – rather than a kettle and water cooler
• Keep your double-glazing in good condition to keep the cold air out and heating bills down
• Make sure the building is well insulated

When you buy from local businesses, you help shrink their carbon footprint as well as your own. So rather than purchasing things like office cleaning supplies or stationery, or even your office furniture, for example, from companies around the world, start shopping closer to home.

Doing so means you’re supporting the sale of products that don’t have to travel as far, and therefore won’t harm the environment quite so much during delivery. Hopefully your local customers will return the gesture too!

If your business sells physical products, either online or in a bricks and mortar shop, now’s the time to switch to eco-friendly packaging if you haven’t done so already. Single-use plastic is the arch nemesis of sustainable practice, so ditch it for something more planet-friendly like recycled/recyclable plastic or cardboard.

If you have a physical store, encourage (and maybe even incentivise) customers to bring their own reusable bags. It will help keep your costs down and reduce your impact on the environment.

How you treat the planet impacts customer perception

Environmental awareness is the main priority here, that goes without saying. However, your approach to sustainability will influence how new and existing customers perceive your brand.

Customers today are far more conscious consumers. A recent study by Deloitte revealed that almost half (45%) stopped purchasing certain brands due to ethical or sustainable concerns. This just goes to show how important it is to prove to customers that you care about the planet, not just your profit.

If you’re going to attract and retain the customers of today and tomorrow, ensuring your small business is operating in the most sustainable ways possible isn’t an option anymore – it’s a basic necessity.

Now you’ve got some guidance in the right direction, it’s time your business turned a brighter shade of green. Give your sustainability practices some TLC to help protect our precious and vulnerable planet.

Looking for more support with your business finances? Ask a task question for free with our useful online tool!

The post Taking the Next Steps for Business Sustainability appeared first on The Cheap Accountants.

With that in mind, we’ve compiled six ways to make your business greener. It might not be possible to implement them all straight away! Work them into your company’s organisational plan, and have them as goals for the future.

Limit business travel

Unless absolutely essential, many meetings can take place through video calling. It will cut down the business expense, and be less costly for the planet, too.

Some platforms, such as Skype, are excellent for businesses with a small budget. Larger organisations, especially those with multiple branches, might invest in proper video-conferencing systems.

Got samples to show off? Have them delivered to the customer, and follow up with a Skype call to discuss.

Source locally where you can

Reduce the miles your goods travel by sourcing local suppliers wherever possible. It’ll help the local economy, and develop further resources in the area.

Reduce your energy usage

Choose energy-saving versions of everything you can, white goods, technical equipment, lighting, and heating systems.

Motion-controlled lighting systems can save you money, ensuring lights are only on where they’re needed. You’d be surprised how much those lights left on constantly in your toilets are costing you!

Swap to a green energy company

Shop around for a company that uses 100% renewable energy or offers a green energy tariff. It may be a little more expensive than what you’re paying now, but the more people who use it, the greater the chance that providers will reduce the prices.

Implementing some energy-saving measures can reduce your energy bills anyway—and you’ll also know your business is doing something positive for the environment.

Cut back on plastic

Invest in soap and soap dishes instead. Bars of soap last longer than handwash and you’ll save a fortune, while eliminating a source of single-use plastic in your company.

Get rid of disposable plastic tumblers at the water cooler, too. Do a mental inventory of the things you use in your business; what items could be replaced with more sustainable versions?

Cut back on paper

Do you really need hard copies of everything? Think before you print! Company policies and handbooks can be saved as PDFs and sent by email or stored on a company server or cloud account. For those things that must be printed, consider whether you can print on both sides.

Don’t leave it to others—ensure your business is doing its bit. Many of these changes are simple to make, but if enough businesses make them, they can have a positive effect.

The post Six Ways to Become a Greener Business appeared first on The Cheap Accountants.

Frightening figures, and even more frightening is how difficult it will be to challenge it.

So, what can you and your business do to help the world beat climate change?

In this article we’ll be looking at ways to make your business greener. These approaches won’t break the bank or negatively affect the delivery of your services. In fact, some of them are exceptional business practice, even without the green credentials, and as such can benefit your business in terms of the bottom line, your reputation, winning clients and more.

Going green – tips for any type business

These pointers can be used by any kind of company.

• Consider exploring regulations set by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). They have a specific set of formal standards called the ISO 14001 which are aimed at helping businesses handle their environmental responsibilities.
• Spread the message of action towards climate change to your employees. Encourage them to cycle to work with a cycle to work scheme, remind them of the importance of saving electricity and recycling where possible. Furthermore, listen to your employees. They are often the source for identifying where wastage can be stopped. Motivate them to be greener and reward them for doing so.
• Examine the ways your business uses energy and materials. A significant portion of your business’ practices will produce emissions and hence have an impact on the carbon footprint of your business. One place to start would be switching to renewable energy suppliers. It’s worth conducting an environmental audit to see how you compare to others in your industry. By making changes that make you greener, you can then use this as a unique selling point.

Production based companies

Companies that manufacture products have slightly different requirements to ensure they are minimising their carbon emissions. This distinction is because they must consider the carbon footprint of where their resources come from and how the product is made. They need to consider their whole supply chain.

You will need to consider:

• Where are the resources coming from to build your product? Find a supplier that is nearby or in the same country, as opposed to overseas. If the distance is less, there are fewer emissions produced through transportation. This may not necessarily be cost-effective, as local suppliers could be more expensive. But, the carbon neutrality of the product could be marketable. However, it’s worth exploring with local suppliers how they can serve you whilst keeping costs down.
• The ‘green factor’ when designing and building your company’s products. Firstly, ensure that, as listed above, the technology used in the process is energy efficient. Secondly, the product itself should produce as little waste as possible. In an ideal world it would be entirely biodegradable, but at the very least it should be recyclable. Don’t forget to also consider packaging. Again, this can become a unique selling point for your brand.

We hope you’ll take some of the above points on board. Even the slightest changes can help make a difference.

What steps are you taking to make your business greener? Please share your thoughts below.

The post How Your Business Could go Greener appeared first on The Cheap Accountants.