Today, more than ever in the past century, we are experiencing the highest level of interest in the topic of eco-friendliness. Now, businesses are going green to create a culture of responsibility and provide the environment with the much-needed relief it needs.
Having a sustainable planet is all of our responsibility. Both individuals and businesses can make a huge difference in their carbon footprint. Companies are embracing eco-friendly efforts to position themselves on the leading edge of social change.
In this article, we’ll explore the topic of promoting a culture of sustainability at work.
Why Businesses are Going Green
You might ask yourself why you are now seeing an increasing number of companies go green. The 2016 Paris Agreement was a pivoting point for responsible investing. Companies gained awareness of our climate crisis and investors saw a shift to promoting eco-friendliness in the workplace.
How is the Culture of Sustainability Defined?
There’s no doubt that we all agree that we have a climate crisis on our hands. This is one of the first points made when establishing a culture of eco-friendliness. The first step is to have absolute clarity that we have a crisis we must act on immediately.
The foundation when building a culture of eco-friendliness is coming together as an organization whose most important order of business is helping the planet. When this focus is positioned as a guiding light, a company easily transforms all aspects of how they conduct business.
Sustainable companies focus on implementing some valuable changes such as:
- Using recycled and biodegradable materials
- Encouraging carpooling and sustainable methods of transportation
- Choosing sustainable hydration sources such as Vitalhelden water filters that allow employees to have the benefits of tap water
- Offer hybrid work models where employees can partially work at home
- Digitize documents and marketing materials instead of print
- Avoid using coffee pods and use traditional coffee pots instead
As reported by Harvard Business Review, eco-friendliness in the workplace is not only a trend but a normal modern way of doing business. This is highly driven by consumers that prefer supporting companies that make public efforts in being eco-friendly.
Sustainable companies are so popular now that many consumers even pay a higher price just to know they’re buying from a responsible source.
How to Create and Promote a Culture of Eco-Friendliness at Work
Going green is one of the most progressive ways to bring an organization together. A sustainable culture brings together your staff in a powerful way as you are all on a mission to save the planet.
These are some of the very easy and effective ways you can start to promote a culture of eco-friendliness at work:
Establish the Company’s Sustainability Goals
Before attempting any eco-friendly practices, the company must first establish its eco goals. How does the company define sustainability? What measurable goals are in place?
Exploring this focus provides a clear foundation for everyone in the company. This is the first step towards developing a comprehensive plan of action.
Assess Your Current Practices
Once your company is clear on what it’s looking to achieve, you must know your current position. Assess all aspects of your business thoroughly. See where you need to make changes to become more sustainable. Perhaps you have some current sustainability initiatives in place that you can expand on.
Which areas need immediate attention? Does your company still print unnecessary documents? Knowing exactly where you stand will provide a roadmap for what the company needs to target first.
Bring Together Your Tribe and Engage Everyone
After your company examines its current level of eco-friendliness and has concrete goals defined, it’s time to bring everyone together. To build a culture, a company must get everyone enthusiastic about belonging to the organization. You’ll want everyone onboard in implementing new sustainable practices.
All individuals from the top executives to the janitors must be engaged with the same level of enthusiasm. Sustainability is very much a team effort within your company and throughout the whole globe.
Upgrade Your Technology
Your tech department plays a very important role in being eco-friendly. Your tech infrastructure must be upgraded to reduce its energy consumption. It needs to have automated processes that streamline systems.
In addition, all equipment must be disposed of sustainably. Proper recycling centers must be used as well as donation practices.
Go Paperless
Now more than ever, it is very easy for a whole company to go paperless. Businesses are practicing digitization in all key areas. This is a great way to help the planet by reducing the need for paper and trees. It saves significant amounts of water and energy.
It is very rare nowadays to require something to be printed. Going paperless is easy to transition to in any industry.
Stay Garbage-Free
Reducing waste is key to becoming a sustainable company. By reducing the need for paper, the waste produced will be significantly eliminated. There are many ways in which companies can reduce the amount of garbage they produce.
The cafeteria is filled with opportunities to reduce waste. A smart way to reduce waste in the cafeteria is to have reusable utensils and plates. Even this small change can make a huge difference in a company’s carbon footprint.
Go Green or Go Home!
Going green is simply going to be a normal part of doing business. Companies are quickly getting on board the eco-friendly train. Consumers and employees expect companies to have a eco-friendly plan in place.
Creating a culture of sustainability at work doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a strong commitment and consistent practices to reach a higher level of eco-friendliness. As with anything in life, what you practice, you become good at.
The more eco-friendliness is practiced, the sooner it will become a natural way of living at work. It is an accomplishment that completely transforms an organization. Becoming eco-friendly can make a workplace more meaningful and progressive. Certainly, a new vital part of any corporate culture.
