The UN has issued a code red for humanity. Consumers are already doing their part to address climate-damaging activity. Shoppers have demanded reduced plastic and recyclable packaging. They’re shopping local, cutting down on red meat, and buying electric cars.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is set to instigate a new sharing economy, where instead of buying things new (often only to use them once), we share them with our communities via online connection. Electric bikes are an excellent example of the IoT, and the public embrace of them throughout the COVID pandemic has proved their value.

Soon, communities across the world will be sharing power tools and solar energy, and multiplying their homes’ efficiency by controlling heat and light digitally and remotely.

The world as we know it is changing, but businesses are lagging far, far behind. This cannot be sustained.

Soon, customers are going to start asking questions, and if the answers aren’t ‘yes that supply chain is renewable’, ‘yes we recycle’, and ‘yes we’re carbon neutral’, they won’t be customers for much longer.

So here are two big reasons you should start sourcing ways to make your business more sustainable, starting yesterday:

1. Your customers will reward you for it
2. It’s the right thing to do.

It’s understandable to feel lost when addressing this challenge.

You likely already recycle and manage your energy usage. You might’ve gone paper free. You may hold regular fundraisers or be partnerend with a charity.

But the major threat facing our natural world demands major action. So here are 5 ways you can create a big change in the carbon footprint of your business that will put you way ahead of the status quo.

• Appoint a green committee. A dedicated team member (or members) can be given capacity to monitor and evaluate how systems and procedures could improve, then implement those changes. If you can’t budget for a whole team, you might start with a ‘green’ officer who upholds this responsibility on top of their existing ones. Or you might recruit an external green consultant. Sustainability measures can often be money-saving as well as reputation-boosting, so you may find the rewards beat the investment.

• Consider your home/office working balance. The pandemic has brought this forward for many already. You almost certainly have experience in managing remote teams or implementing A/B team office splits. Think not just about reducing your employees commuting levels and office power usage, but assessing all business travel, e.g. conferences and meetings that could be held via Zoom.

• Supply chain conformances. While you’re assessing the travel network that surrounds your daily practices, take a look at the carbon impact of what you order in. Even sourcing stationary, stock, hygiene, or catering deliveries closer to your location makes a difference. It’s in your power to make policy on who you choose to work with. Asking for a new supplier or partner’s green qualifications should be foremost in discussions.

• Waste hierarchy. Take a moment to look at how you manage waste. How much goes to landfill (the lowest point of the waste hierarchy)? How much is recycled (better, but still requires energy)? Reuse sits at the top of the waste hierarchy because it requires no energy to process, saves items from the tip, and often benefits others at tiny cost.

• Green schemes. Incentivising employees to cycle to work not only helps the environment, but is great for staff morale, wellbeing, and the feeling of doing something good together. You could also consider hosting recycling points, offering reusable cups, cutlery, and crockery, and using posters to raise awareness of sustainable practices.

If you can begin to tick-off a few of these actions, your business will be heading in the right direction to ensure it’s not only a sustainable business for tomorrow, but one your customers will want to buy from too.

Meanwhile, whether it’s a preplanned office move or a reconfiguration to ensure a post-COVID safe working environment, many businesses are currently reconsidering their office space. If this applies to you, appointing an ethical office clearance partner is possibly the easiest and most rewarding way to help the planet.

Waste to Wonder organises start-to-finish clearances and collections, sends your unwanted office furniture and equipment to people and charities who desperately need them, and saves you extortionate landfill taxes to boot.

You’ll also receive a project report with evidence of your carbon offset, as well as details of the communities your unwanted furniture has helped. Each report is a powerful stakeholder tool to demonstrate your commitment to green policies and helping disadvantaged communities.

Find out how we can save you money and reduce your carbon footprint here today.