As small-business owners, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed when it comes to the state of the environment and the impact of carbon emissions. As we head into another summer where record-breaking weather is predicted, the reality of climate change is making itself felt, and often small businesses are the first to suffer as a result.
But there are simple ways to improve your business’s sustainability scorecard and reduce your carbon footprint, so that you can take intentional positive action, rather than feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of the problem. And it might even save you money (bonus!).
1. Reduce landfill
As a business, everything you throw out that is never recycled, reused or repurposed becomes landfill. You can reduce the amount of rubbish you create by removing single-use plastics from the products you purchase or the packaging you use, and going out of your way to use recyclable materials.
2. Be energy-conscious
You might be tempted to choose your business’s next appliance or white goods purchase based on price. But if you instead focus on the Energy Star rating or the level of kilowatts the item uses, you can save money in the long run by reducing power consumption. Switching old or fluorescent globes to LEDs, using energy-saving mode on your computer, adding timers to electrical goods and turning these off at the powerpoint can all reduce energy bills and your carbon footprint.
3. Support clean energy
Consider purchasing GreenPower from your energy retailer to support renewable energy investment in Australia. Or, if suitable, opt-in to harness the sun’s power with solar panels.
If you have solar and can’t afford to buy battery storage, make the most of the energy produced from your panels by switching your energy habits to when your solar is running. Your local electrician or solar retailer can help you by reviewing your solar system, commercial property and energy patterns.
4. Choose ethical suppliers
Ethical suppliers help to make the world a better place. As small businesses, we are the bread and butter of the economy. Although we might not look like we have purchasing power, every decision we make with our money matters.
Consider supporting businesses that support initiatives (such as 1% for the Planet), are B corp-certified, or go out of their way to make a tangible difference in the environment. Set up an Ethical Charter or Supply Chain guidelines to support your business in making these decisions in future.
5. Minimise your digital carbon footprint
Our online activities also have an impact on climate change. The internet is already responsible for the equivalent emissions of the aviation sector, so be mindful of your digital footprint.
If you have a website, sizing images for the web (no more than 1500px wide for most sites) and compressing them with free tools like Tiny PNG and Small PDF before you upload them not only reduces your web hosting disk usage but also lowers the energy needed to load your site for your customers, resulting in a faster website. Google tells us that for every second delay in a website loading in retail, the likelihood that people will not buy from us is up by 20 per cent. You can also opt for green web hosting to be part of a network that monitors and reduces your footprint on your behalf.
To get a clear picture of your business’s impact, invest in an energy consumption audit for you and your team to reduce consumption and make a positive dent in your employee’s energy bills. Spending some time on research into better environmental choices now is a win for your business’s bank account and a win for the environment. Every little bit helps.
