As we become even more aware of the climate crisis we are facing, growing numbers of celebrities, political leaders and members of the public are trying to take action.
However, we are living in a society where this fight is not always an easy one and much more needs to be done to embed sustainability practices into everyday life.
Many people have begun to make more sustainable choices in their personal lives and are changing their individual values. However, research by UCLA found that employees of companies who implement sustainable practices are 16pc more productive. Similarly, it has been reported that individuals working in LEED buildings (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) felt happier, healthier and more productive compared to others in traditional office spaces.
As these findings comparing sustainability practices and business performance become more apparent management teams are under more pressure than ever to implement sustainable initiatives in the workplace. However, that being said research has found that even when CEOs and other executives are supporting the sustainability transformations only 2% of the companies surveyed which had sustainability transformation programmes achieved or exceeded expectations, while 81% of respondents report that they settle for dilution of value and mediocre performance. Additionally, ad agency 18 Feet & rising reported in 2018 that 88pc of SME’s value sustainability but 70pc struggle to put sustainable business practices in place citing costs issues and unfavourable government policies as major stumbling blocks.
If you’re ready however to create a more environmentally responsible workplace but aren’t sure where to start, here are three things you can get to work on right now that will pay off in the years to come and we are not talking about just turning off all your lights and computer screens!
Switch your search engine
Probably the easiest and cheapest change you can make in your workplace is enabling Ecosia as your default web browser for all devices. What happens is, you search the web like you usually would with say google or bing, but instead with Ecosia; search ads generate income for Ecosia; Ecosia uses this income to plant trees. This means Ecosia plant a tree every 0.8 seconds. Ecosia is completely free to use, takes less than a minute to install and is ready to use immediately. They were also the first German company to ever receive B-Corp certification. Simple, easy to implement and you can do right now.
Download here: https://info.ecosia.org/what
Going green competitions
What’s better than a bit of office, department rivalry to boost motivation? It has been found that competition can increase motivation, improve productivity and performance. Therefore, introducing small scale competitions and games to your office is great, free way to encourage individuals to engage with sustainability initiatives. Games could include, who can recycle the most in a week? Who can contribute to the most trees planted using Ecosia? Who has the lowest energy emitting commute as a team? Have rewards ready for the individuals who win as everyone knows points means prizes! Again, the cost can be low but engages individuals in a fun and interactive way increasing the likelihood of those individuals sticking with the practices they adopted during the competition creating a culture of sustainability.
Buying goods that have already been produced and are in stock in the UK
Overstock from UK manufacturing alone is worth an estimated £5Billion. That’s £5 billion worth of perfectly good products, sitting in warehouses around the country, costing money to store. This doesn’t take into account the amount of stock that has been imported from the far east, were most products are now produced. Many brands feel they have no other choice but to destroy their overstock in a bid to protect their brand. For example, Burberry burned $90 million worth of stock in the past 5 years.
This is not only unsustainable, completely wasteful of all resources put into creating the product but incredibly detrimental to profitability and the planet. In June 2019, the French government passed a law effectively outlawing this practice of destroying overstock. From 2023 French retailers and manufacturers will be legally obliged to donate, reuse, or recycle unsold goods in a move aimed at overturning the current practice of destroying unsold consumer products.
Although this is a fantastic turning point for France, it still leaves brands asking the same question as before; how do we reduce waste and limit environmental impact while simultaneously protecting market position and maximising profitability? buyfair.global the business to business marketplace is at the forefront of providing this solution allowing brands to sell their excess stock while giving buyer’s access to high volumes of premium product at heavily discounted prices. It connects buyers and sellers across multiple industries opening up new markets for sellers and a new supply chain for buyers. It’s dramatically reducing the amount of excess stock being incinerated or destroyed, providing a win for the environment and boosting the circular economy needed for a sustainable future. This business to business marketplace is totally free to use for buyers, while sellers pay a small commission on any goods sold.
If you want to go one step further on your sustainability journey, buyfair are currently offering you the chance to own a part of their sustainable vision, if you’d like to learn more about this exclusive opportunity click here. It’s a win for buyers, sellers and our planet.
Check it out today and buy the office some nice, new and sustainably sourced mugs for Christmas! www.buyfair.global
So, there you go, 3 quick practices that can be implemented almost immediately into your workplace with very low costs whilst simultaneously increasing productivity and well-being. Why not start today!
