Gone are the days when inculcating green habits like recycling or composting were relegated to the domain of hippies and outcasts. Everyone wants to be labeled green and eco-friendly nowadays, especially businesses like yours.
If you are trying to figure out how you can be admired as well for being an eco-friendly business, then we’ve got you covered. Keep reading for some tips that you can apply right now to start greenwashing your business.
1. Install Recycling And Organic Waste Bins
Most of the garbage that gets sent to the landfills is organic waste or recyclables that don’t actually need to be there. It’s easy enough to install recycling bins and organic waste collecting bins in your organization, and train your employees to use them diligently.
At first, it might be a bit awkward for them to consciously place the garbage into the right compartment. But as they get used to it, you will notice a huge downturn in the amount of garbage your office produces. Share these stats with your employees so they know how much of a difference they are making in protecting the environment from harm.
You can either use the organic waste to create your own compost or get it picked up by organizations that will do it for you. It’s easy enough to do either.
2. Support Environmental Efforts In Your Neighborhood
Are there any environmental groups in your community that need help, either with volunteering or donations? That’s another thing you can put your employees to work at.
They would be happy to help these charity organizations either by putting in time or money. Not only are you helping out a not-for-profit in your community, but you are also helping the environment.
There are many such organizations that will either do beach cleanups or will go out and plant trees. If there isn’t such an organization though, it’s simple enough for you to form a charitable group in your organization with volunteer employees and set up environmental days where employees go out to do good deeds for Mother Earth.
They will feel good about helping out the planet and you get to accumulate brownie points with them for being a green business.
3. Use Recycled Paper And Other Fairtrade Items
Every time your employees have to purchase something for the company, ask them to choose fairtrade or environmentally friendly products, rather than just anything random. There are lots of recycled sustainable items for sale, that can work as great alternatives for what you are purchasing anyways.
For example, you can choose to purchase copy paper that’s made from sustainable forests or those made from 100% recycled paper. And you can choose to buy coffee beans for your coffee machine from fairtrade sellers. These fairtrade sellers put the health of the planet before profits.
Choosing fairtrade sellers results in organizations working together to prohibit harmful chemicals from entering the environment while at the same time taking measures to protect natural resources.
4. Give Your Employees Credit For Green Activities
This is great to add to your green marketing campaign. You can even use this to entice millennial employees to your organization since they prefer to work for environmentally friendly organizations.
Offer your employees credits either in the form of days off or something else when they engage in green activities. It could be something as simple as installing a compost bin in their home or riding their bicycle to work twice a week or carpooling with other employees, instead of taking their car.
You can decide how you want to set up this reward system. But once it’s set up and ready to go, don’t forget to reward folks for putting in their green efforts. Don’t be lazy or cheap about it.
5. Train Your Employees To Instill Green Habits
Many Americans aren’t sure of what they can do to become greener in their daily lifestyles. That’s why distributing some information on the subject or having training sessions is highly helpful.
Some green habits that you can start with, are:
- Using both sides of the paper when printing (thinking twice before printing anything).
- Bringing in a reusable coffee mug or water bottle to avoid plastic usage.
- Buying items in bulk when possible.
- Installing solar panels on their home (click for a “solar company near me“).
- Using shredded paper as packing material, if the papers aren’t confidential material.
- Buying snacks that are packed in paper rather than plastic packaging.
- Carpooling or taking the subway to work.
This is just a preliminary list. Surely your employees will be able to come up with many more ideas, once pushed to think about them.
6. Use Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products
Indoor pollution is a huge problem nowadays, not only at home but in offices as well. Breathing in all that toxic air can be terrible for your employees’ health.
You can alleviate this by putting lots of indoor plants in the office and by switching to eco-friendly cleaning products as much as you can. This will help your greenwashing efforts and also keep your employees healthy and safe.
It Takes Effort To Be Labeled An Eco-Friendly Business
If you never paid attention to all the points mentioned above, then it’s time you started building it in your business strategy. A green business doesn’t just evolve on its own.
It takes time and conscious effort to build an eco-friendly business from the ground up. But once you apply the tips mentioned above, then you will soon be added to the list of socially responsible companies.
Did you find the article above interesting and actionable? We hope so. Check out more interesting articles such as this one on our website, and keep learning.
