4 Sustainable Business Practices That Make a Big Impact — But Won’t Blow Your Budget

by Dev MG September 26, 2022

simple ways for businesses to be more environmentally friendly

Key Takeaways

Sustainable business practices don’t have to be costly; small, affordable changes can reduce environmental impact.
Simple office policies, like turning off lights and unplugging devices, cut energy use and save money.
Swapping everyday office supplies for sustainable alternatives reduces waste and lowers your long-term footprint.
Expanding recycling efforts and adding workplace composting divert significant material from landfills.
Recycling specialty items like e-waste, ink cartridges and light bulbs is easy through free retailer programs.
Employee engagement through Green Teams or Volunteer Time Off strengthens sustainability across your organization.

Businesses and corporations have a major responsibility when it comes to helping reduce environmental impact and preserving our planet.

At Save Trees (formerly Cloud Paper), we’re an eco-friendly paper company on a mission to end deforestation. That means we support the planet-saving effects of a sustainable business model. But we also want to point out the (perhaps unintentional) advantages of eco-friendly operations.

Sustainable business practices aren’t just an ethical choice. They’re also a financially beneficial one.

Surveys and studies regularly show us that customers prefer sustainable companies. And those numbers only grow with each younger generation.

Unfortunately, investing in sustainable business practices is often expensive.

Solar panels aren’t cheap. Sustainably sourced materials usually come with added costs. Not every company has the means to replace all its appliances and light fixtures with energy-efficient alternatives.

But not all sustainable business practices have to be sweeping changes. Sometimes, one small fix makes a big difference.

How Small Sustainable Business Practices Add Up

Take this story from Walmart. (We know it’s a bit odd to use Walmart as an example of sustainability, but check it out.)

A manager at a single Walmart store noticed the light in the employee vending machine was always on. It stayed on even though the room itself supplied plenty of light to see the products inside.

The store didn’t just turn off that vending machine light. It turned off all the vending machine lights across every Walmart. The reduction in energy saved Walmart $1.4 million that year.

One tiny light, over $1 million. Think about the energy that move saved as well. It might not sound like much, but when we apply sustainable business practices across hundreds or thousands of businesses, it all makes a difference.

So even if your business is small, it still counts. And even if you can’t make giant changes, they add up.

Here are four sustainable business practices you can implement today that’ll immediately lower your business’s carbon footprint.

1. Start With Simple, Sustainable Office Policies

Small behavioral changes across your workplace can significantly cut energy use and reduce operating costs.

One of the easiest (and cheapest) ways to make your business more sustainable is to implement basic eco-friendly office policies. Educate your employees about your sustainability initiative, then encourage them to join in.

Things like these can be simple first steps:

Turn off bathroom and breakroom lights when no one’s there.
Shut down computers at the end of the day, and enable energy-saving settings.
Unplug appliances that aren’t in use. (It’s OK not to unplug the printer; we know it has an existential crisis every time you shut it off. But try unplugging the coffee machine after noon and reminding employees to unplug phone chargers when not in use.)

These sustainable business practices save energy, resources and money. As you reduce operating costs, your business can use that money to reinvest in green initiatives. Think along the lines of water-saving faucets and LED light fixtures.

2. Swap Office Supplies for Sustainable Alternatives

eco friendly office supplies for your business

Everyday office supplies accumulate quickly, making small product swaps an easy way to lower your environmental footprint.

Most of us have heard we should use LED lights, but what about all the other office supplies?

This is an area where one small switch has a massive impact because you use so many office supplies daily. When you use or discard items frequently, you have the opportunity for a meaningful change. (It’s kind of like Walmart’s little light bulb.)

Consider making some of these easy sustainable swaps:

Standard printer paper to recycled printer paper (keep it electronic when possible)
Traditional toilet paper and paper towels to bamboo toilet paper and paper towels
Keurig/K-cups to coffee pots (bonus points for reusable filters)
Clorox wipes to reusable, biodegradable dish cloths
Paper cups to mugs and glassware (bonus points if you thrift them)
Bottled water to filtered faucet or Brita

They may seem insignificant, but you and your employees likely use these items every single day. Imagine how much of an impact such changes can have over a month, a year and 5 years.

Many of these swaps are comparable to the price of traditional supplies, and some will actually save you money. (Don’t you love reusables?)

3. Ramp Up Your Recycling and Add a Compost

Expanding what your workplace recycles and adding composting divert large amounts of waste away from landfills. And they’re simple ways to incorporate sustainable business practices.

See if you can go beyond traditional curbside recycling. The EPA estimates that Americans throw about 76% of recyclables in the trash. However, some items are tricky to recycle.

You can actually recycle items like ink cartridges, light bulbs and ballpoint pens, but they require special recycling programs. Major manufacturers team up with distributors like Staples and OfficeMax to form often-free recycling collection programs.

See what’s available in your area, and start a collection box at work.

The Perils of E-Waste and the Pros of Composting

Managing specialty waste like electronics and food scraps dramatically improves the overall impact of your sustainable business practices.

So don’t forget to recycle e-waste, or electronics waste. It’s the fastest growing form of waste in the U.S., and much of it is recyclable. Americans alone throw out 50 million tons of e-waste every year, while only 20% of it gets recycled.

Check for collection programs at big-box outlets, like Best Buy.

If you have a little cash in your budget for recycling, you can use convenient options like Terracycle’s Zero Waste Box. It allows you to collect traditionally nonrecyclable items in a single-stream system and mail them back for recycling.

Starting a company compost is another easy sustainable business practice that significantly lowers your carbon footprint. Composting reduces methane, one of the most harmful greenhouse gasses.

Plus, composting food waste is practically free if you have a place for it.

4. Get Your Employees Involved

Employees gathering for a company brainstorm

Employee engagement is one of the most powerful drivers of long-term sustainability and cultural change.

Educate, inspire and embrace employee-led initiatives. If you’re feeling stuck on how to implement sustainable business practices, form a Green Team or host a company brainstorm. You’d be surprised how many of your employees already have ideas to try.

Another wonderful way to support sustainability is with volunteer opportunities.

Embrace Volunteer Time Off (VTO)

You don’t have to organize a company-wide highway cleanup to make a difference with volunteer work.

One highly effective technique is to offer your staff VTO. Just 1 or 2 days of VTO yearly motivate and empower employees to volunteer for a cause they believe in. It’s a win-win-win for your staff, your company and your community.

Sustainable Business Practices Can Be Simple Yet Effective

Even gradual improvements multiply across teams and time, creating meaningful environmental benefits. Remember that sustainable business practices don’t have to mean tremendous changes.

Taking baby steps makes a big difference when you multiply it across thousands of U.S. businesses. What we need is for business owners to step up and exercise the sustainable business practices within their reach.

So if that’s not solar panels this year, maybe it’s time to try tree-free toilet paper. Think of how much toilet paper your office goes through in a year (we’re willing to bet it’s a lot). You’ll save so many trees.

And minor improvements create lasting impact. Your office bathroom supplies are a great place to start.

Take the Next Step Toward a More Sustainable Business

Tree-free essentials like bamboo paper products make sustainability practices simple for busy offices.

You get extra perks when you opt for Save Trees toilet paper. We make it the softest, most chemical-free and most eco-conscious on the market.

Browse our shop for bamboo TP, paper towels, tissues and more that elevate your environmentally friendly workplace. We offer bulk, subscription and bundle options to keep your office clean and green.

We’ve got your business’s back.

bamboo toilet paper and paper towels makes great eco friendly office supplies