10 Green Initiatives to Inspire Businesses In 2021

For most businesses, it’s no longer something that would be nice to address one day, but something near the top of their agenda. Numerous airlines have made pledges to invest in more sustainable jet fuels; brands like Nike have launched lines made from recycled materials; hotel chains such as Marriott are promising to reduce single-use plastics and tech firms including Apple have created wind and solar farms to power their data centres, stores and offices.

You might not be a business bringing in billion-dollar revenues like the ones above, but that doesn’t mean you can’t look into eco-initiatives in 2021. As well as having a positive environmental impact, consumers and employees are increasingly concerned with corporate social responsibility, so making tangible changes can be both a morale-booster for your team and good publicity to share with clients or customers.

Here are ten green projects to inspire your business practices this year.

1. Green up your office

There are lots of simple things you can do to improve the eco-credentials of your office, some of which may save you money too. Think about every process you can digitize instead of using printers, and look into software (like GreenPrint and EcoPrint2) that prevents paper waste. You could also start buying recycled paper and ink cartridges, or even buy upcycled or vintage furniture for your office space.

It doesn’t have to stop there:

• Ensure all machines in the office aren’t using wasteful ‘standby power’ overnight;
• Eliminate single-use plastics where possible (could you even move to a zero-waste to landfill model)
• Make sure you have a recycling system in place which is easy to use and clearly explains what items should go where and what state they need to be in.

2. Check or renew your office Energy Performance Certificate

Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are those color-coded sheets you often see framed on the walls of offices. These show you how energy efficient (and potentially how wasteful) a commercial property is.

An EPC assessor from an accredited company such as EPC For You can survey your building and will also be able to tell you how to improve it, for example by adding insulation, replacing windows and upgrading heating systems. The added benefit is that making the office more efficient will save costs on heating and cooling bills in the long-run. If you don’t manage your office space, check in with the group that does.

3. Generate green power

Whether your office is in an industrial estate, city centre or remote location, there could be potential to install solar panels to allow you to generate green electricity on-site. Check with a professional, as there may be more scope to do this than you think. The best thing is that such projects usually pay for themselves within a few years, so they’re a great investment for the future.

4. Purchase green power

If you can’t generate it on-site, you may be able to purchase green power from your utility provider. This may cost more but is a great low-effort eco-initiative to pursue.

5. Look into carbon offsetting

There are a growing number of start-ups which allow companies to purchase carbon offsetting credits, or to fund projects such as tree planting and the provision of more environmentally-friendly stoves in developing countries. Do some research in order to pick one that really resonates with your business.

Some airlines now allow you to pay extra to offset the cost of a flight, which could be a good option if your employees do a lot of business travel.

6. Invest green

If you have an investment portfolio that’s related to your business, consider whether you can or should move into socially responsible investing, also known as ethical investing. There can be challenges here – it’s difficult to define exactly what counts as ‘ethical’, and investing is already full of jargon which can further muddy the waters – but if you’re willing to put some time and effort in, you can get to a portfolio you feel prouder of.

7. Encourage employee change

While you should make sure that the business is pulling its weight, you can also push your employees to consider more eco-friendly behaviours. Can you provide incentives for cycling to work? Would your team be up for a group vegetarian week, or for spending a Saturday picking litter in a local area? Just make sure they’re things that the majority of the team is on-board with.

8. Greenify your supply chain

This will mean different things depending on what business you’re in, but whatever is the field, there are probably areas you could clean up. For example, if you send out a lot of packages, can you make all materials recyclable? If you have company vehicles, could they be made electric?

9. Greenify your digital world

Many people forget that what we do on our computers and phones has a big environmental impact too. Can you trial new products such as eco-search engine Ecosia? Are you recycling or donating all used electronics?

10. Set targets

You don’t need to transform your entire business overnight. Setting targets, letting your team know about them and reporting on how you’re getting on with them (perhaps in monthly or bi-monthly emails) is a good way to hold yourself accountable for the rest of the year and beyond.

Designate a team to monitor your efforts and to drum up support and enthusiasm for them. Making moves in all or some of the above areas needn’t feel like a chore or waste of money if you’re clear about the benefits, both to the business and to the world.