Are you an aspiring eco-conscious entrepreneur? Keep these things in mind when opening a green business

Are you dreaming about making a change in the business world by starting an eco-conscious company? There are a few green ideas you should know when starting your own business. Keep reading below to find out what these ideas are! 

We can no longer deny that our planet is going through some dramatic changes that are also affecting us because of humans’ reckless actions. We’re seeing landfills overflowing, our world’s oceans choked with plastic, and climate change is happening at a more rapid pace than ever before. Why? There are many reasons our planet is suffering, but the huge amounts of waste discarded worldwide are particularly harmful to our environment. 

In the US only, Americans are throwing away over 230 million tons of waste every year. And businesses are a major contributor. But businesses don’t only harm our planet with waste. They also contribute to air pollution and the creation of greenhouse gases. So, there is a need for immediate change from all of us, both individuals and entrepreneurs. 

The good news? You can take several steps when starting your own business, or even if you already have one, to turn things around and minimize the impact of your company on the environment. Check out these green ideas to keep in mind when starting an eco-conscious business.

Choose a green web hosting

“I don’t know how to be more eco-friendly” is no longer an excuse because it takes a simple Google search to find out how to adapt all your habits to be eco-friendlier. That’s right. There’s a greener solution to everything we do these days, including hosting our websites. 

(Not so) fun fact: running all of the servers in the US is equivalent to running five nuclear power plants? Yes, you’ve read that right. Since all these servers need to be up and running 24/7, there’s a lot of environmental damage happening. 

So, when creating a website for your business, you can choose a green web hosting to make sure that at least part of the energy needed to keep your website up and running comes from a renewable power source and doesn’t negatively impact our planet. 

What’s more, choosing green web hosting can also help you save more money and attract more customers. Green hosting companies save money by using renewable energy to power their business, which makes them more affordable than companies that offer traditional web hosting. And, green hosting may bring you more sales since, according to a recent study, 60% of people claim that they are swayed to purchase from online websites that explicitly claim they use green hosting. 

Buy reusable office supplies

In the US, over four million pens are thrown away every day. Simply purchasing reusable pens that can have their ink refilled can help your business keep a lot of plastic from ending up in the landfill. 

Another type of reusable supplies you should buy is cups and kitchen utensils so that your employees don’t use plastic cups, forks, or knives. 

You can also help cut down on paper waste by using technology as much as possible to avoid having paper documents. Reducing paper waste can be as simple as replacing the sticky note pads used by your employees with mini dry erase boards or tablets. 

Equip your business with renewable resources

Powering your business with renewable energy is another great step to make to have an eco-conscious company. You can add solar panels to heat water or generate electricity. You can also use wind, fuel cells, or even geothermal energy. 

To make sure that you choose the right renewable energy source for your business, you can talk to an environmental specialist. 

Make recycling a priority

Recycling your business waste is the biggest step you need to make to have a green company. Whether you work in a traditional office, in a warehouse, or any other type of work environment, there’s a major chance that your business generates a lot of waste. 

So, if you want to have an eco-conscious business that helps recycle waste and not only damps it in the landfill, commit to a recycling program. 

First, identify the type of waste your business produces the most, be it plastic, glass, paper, construction materials, or metals. Next, find out what type of waste can be recycled and how you should collect it to take it to a recycling center. For example, you can use a recycling baler or compactor to manage your business waste. You can view the range here of such recycling machines. 

Choose sustainable packaging

If the nature of your business implies shipping products to customers, you should also pay attention to the packaging solutions you use. Generally, each form of packaging uses a lot of resources, such as energy, water, chemicals, minerals, and many others. And manufacturing packaging also generates air emissions, such as greenhouse gases, heavy metals, and even wastewater.  

To be an eco-friendly business, you should avoid for your packaging things like plastics produced from polyethylene, styrofoam, packaging with multiple layers, or non-recyclable packaging materials. Instead, choose biodegradable or plant-based plastics, recycled products, and recycled molded packaging. 

Buy recycled products, donate, don’t discard

When equipping your office for your new business, why not buy products that are recycled or produced from recycled materials? 

For example, say your business needs office chairs, why not buy secondhand office chairs that have been used before but are still in great shape? 

Also, if you want to update your office equipment or technology, don’t just discard your old stuff to the landfill but donate it instead? Where to donate them? Look for schools, kindergartens, people, or even new businesses that might need your stuff. 

Encourage employees to leave their cars at home

Your employees should be a big part of your eco-friendly strategy. So, train your employees to be as eco-conscious as possible when they are at the office. 

For example, one important eco-friendly thing you should encourage your employees to do is to commute to work by bike or using public transportation. Commuting generally pumps tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year. 

To encourage your employees to commute to work using other transportation methods than their cars, make sure you choose a location close to public transportation, cycle parking, and bicycle tracks.