Earth Day 2023: How can your business become more sustainable

The first step you should take if you’re looking to make your business more sustainable this Earth Day is completing a waste audit. Take a look at your waste management systems and see if there’s any gaps that need filling or any areas that need improving. Generating a lot of food waste? Is this being recycled or thrown in with your general waste? Looking at every aspect of your waste management process will give you a better picture of where you need to start.

Before looking for reuse or recycling options for your waste, you should look at reducing the amount of waste you’re producing from the get-go. Preventing waste from being generated in the first place is always better than having to find a recovery route. Can you encourage staff to use reusable containers for their coffees or lunch? Or could you go paperless to reduce the amount of waste from printing? All of this could help your business become more sustainable this Earth Day.

Once you’ve reduced the amount of waste you’re generating, you should look at whether any of your waste could be used again. Before throwing away old keyboards and computers, see if they can be repaired. Having a refurb? You could donate any old furniture to a local charity shop if it’s still in good condition. Giving your old items a new life is always better than trying to recycle them straight away. This also reduces the amount of waste that could possibly end up in landfill, helping reduce the environmental impact of your business.

The most important thing when looking to become more sustainable is to get everybody involved. Get your staff engaged! Could you have a competition to see who can recycle the most or provide rewards for staff who choose public transport or carpool instead of coming to work in their own cars? You could appoint someone in your business as the Sustainability Champion. They can help to keep everyone up to date with your sustainability journey and discover new ways your business can become more sustainable.

You’ll need to look a bit wider too. Is your supply chain as sustainable as you want to be? Do they have the same interests at the heart of their business as you do? If you offer a product for your customers, could you switch to a supplier that uses recycled materials? If you run a restaurant, is your food sustainably or locally sourced? Can you switch to an energy supplier that offers green energy contracts? Assessing your supply chain will make sure that every business you work with is also focusing on becoming more sustainable, helping you to, in turn, reduce your carbon footprint.