How can climate protection be driven forward in the company? Climate change is a man-made problem. That is why each and every one of us can and must contribute to its solution. But whether in the private sphere or on the political stage - getting involved in a sustainable way has long since ceased to be the task of nature lovers alone. Companies also bear responsibility and accordingly try to reduce their ecological footprint with larger or smaller measures. The environmental manager for example, is one of the companies that has even specialized in helping other companies to work more sustainably. The measures that companies can implement do not always have to be directly complicated and expensive.
In this article, I will show you how companies can reduce their carbon footprint with various initiatives and activities and act in a more environmentally friendly way. Let's go!
Here is in advance a short Overview about the tips from the post:
- Office recycling
- Video conference instead of flight
- Green energy in the office
- Use refurbished electrical appliances
- Extend the life of electrical appliances
- Switch to green web hosting
- Sustainable Marketing & E-Commerce
- Ecological transport package
- Offer environmentally friendly food
- Make CO2 audit
1. recycling in the office
Despite all efforts to reduce one's waste, on an average office day there will always be trash. That's why it's important to give all employees a professional waste separation through appropriate equipment in the office. Small reminders or humorous posters on how to recycle correctly can raise employee awareness and bring the somewhat dusty topic to the forefront.
2. video conference instead of flight
Even if a slight zoom fatigue has set in for many, video conferencing is a sustainable alternative to flights. Instead of jetting off to Munich for a meeting, in most cases it's enough to use the to handle the matter via one of the many videoconferencing platforms. While it's important to remember that using the Internet also emits CO2, it's far less than a short-haul flight.
Tip: Also for the sustainable surfing on the internet I have written you a detailed article.
3. green energy in the office
Nowadays, fortunately, there are many energy providers that offer Green electricity clean and inexpensive. Green electricity offers security of supply, is cost-efficient and is can flexible can be tailored to commercial businesses, industrial customers and large corporations. It therefore offers everything that conventional providers can. If you want to go one step further, you can as a business itself to the power generator can be used. Thus, with photovoltaic systems on the roof, solar rays can be converted directly into electricity, which is both more sustainable and more economical in the medium and long term.
4. use refurbished electrical appliances
Most employees need a variety of electronic devices in the modern working day. For this it is usually not necessary to buy new equipment, because refurbished laptops and cell phones are a sustainable, as well as favorable alternative to new, often very expensive purchases.
Fortunately, there are now many reputable suppliers on the Internet where you can buy office equipment. buy cheap used can. You should always make sure that the devices have been refurbished by experts, that there is a right of return of at least 14 days and that a sufficient warranty is guaranteed.
5. extend the life of electrical appliances
To improve one's carbon footprint in the company, one can make sure to use the electronic devices in the company for as long as possible. The longer they are in use, the less additional electrical waste is generated. (and if you do, see Dispose of electronic waste correctly)
Unfortunately, there have been few to hardly any incentives for repair in the past, as they were often complicated and expensive, or still are. Fortunately, there have been increasing impulses from the political arena for some years now, which are pushing the business community towards the "right to repair". In the future, it will be easier for consumers to extend the service life of their devices by, for example can replace individual parts more easily and carry out the repairs independently of the manufacturer can.
6. switch to green web hosting
All of a company's digital data is stored on servers. These in turn are located in huge data centers that consume a lot of energy. In 2018, the energy consumed by Use of the Internet emissions consumed with end devices is 22 million tons of CO2 per year. By way of comparison, that's just as much as the entire domestic air traffic in Germany consumes in one year.
However, as a climate-friendly company, you can switch to eco-friendly web hosting: Providers work with sustainable data centers that use, among other things, electricity from renewable sources, use refurbished technology and operate high-efficiency cooling.
Tip About sustainable web design I have written you another separate post. Look gladly purely!
7. sustainable marketing and e-commerce
As a company, you can also save CO2 emissions in the areas of marketing and e-commerce. When procuring merchandise products, for example, you can make sure that recyclable material is used. With many promotional products manufacturers nowadays you have the possibility to buy ecological and recyclable promotional items, such as wooden pens, coffee-to-go cups or promotional bags.
In general, it makes sense to use its annual marketing plan with all those responsible. Together, they can then consider, for example, whether print measures (reduction of circulation, use of eco-paper) can be revised. It may also be worth moving parts of the campaign to a digital environment.
For product packaging or shipping bags, there is also the option of using recyclable materials such as Grass paper, cocoa paper, bagasse or Cornstarch to fall back on. You'll be amazed at the creative innovations that exist in the field of packaging materials!
8. provide a sustainable transportation package.
Be it for Business Travel or for the Commuting between home and the office: often, employees' journeys make a decisive contribution to a company's CO2 emissions. To sustainable travel and give teams the opportunity to get from home to the office in a safe and environmentally friendly way, for example, each employee could receive a sustainable transportation package.
Any idea? For every kilometer taken to get to work by bike, the employer reimburses 25 cents. In addition, each employee can invest an amount of up to 35 euros per month in other sustainable means of transport (electric scooter, S-Bahn ticket, etc.) or, for example, also repair their bicycle or buy a new bicycle lock. Initiatives like these can - privately or in the company - help the Significantly reduce ecological footprint. At the same time, you also motivate your employees to leave their cars at home more often.
Tip: You can also use your own Offset CO2 emissions. I'll show you how it works in the linked post.
9. offer sustainable food
In the canteen or company kitchen, you can make a big impact with just a few small changes. For example, the previous coffee can be replaced with a climate friendly coffee replace, which not only tastes more natural, but is also good for the environment.
Many companies have Vegetable milk alternatives like soy or oat milk on their weekly shopping list. At my last job in Berlin, I simply asked the colleague in charge about the issue. After I told her about my concern, there were two packs of oat milk in the refrigerator every week in addition to cow's milk - which even immediately became more popular than cow's milk. So the impetus doesn't always have to come from the manager. Employees can also bring about small but effective changes in the company.
Tip: Buy regionally us seasonal shopping are two valuable contributions that should further promote climate protection in the company.
10. make CO2 audit
Climate-related emissions caused by a company are now an important indicator in corporate communications and risk management. So if you're a company that wants to know exactly how big its ecological footprint can consult external companies for this purpose.
Professional CO2 audits (German: CO2 tests) have been mandatory for many companies in Germany since the EU Energy Efficiency Directive came into force in 2015 and, depending on the size of the company, are subsidized by the government. The aim of a CO2 audit is to identify all Identify savings potentials and the resulting optimization opportunities and jointly create a realistic action plan.
Can you think of other ideas for more climate-friendly businesses? Then just write me a comment under this post!
Make companies more climate-friendly!
And yes, at first it seems like a huge and insurmountable mountain to upgrade your company sustainably and significantly improve its environmental performance. However, the first step starts with asking yourself uncomfortable questions as a company and putting the topic of sustainability firmly on your agenda.
Often it helps to simply jump in at the deep end and, above all, to exchange ideas within the company. You may also be surprised by the commitment and creativity of your colleagues, and the changeover to a climate-friendly company will be easy in the end. No matter how far the way is, you have to take the first step to create change. Both as an individual and as a large company. Whether as an individual or together as a company.
I hope that I was able to help you with this article on climate protection in the company. Feel free to write me a comment if you have any questions or suggestions.
Stay Climate Friendly,
PS.: Have a look at the Environmental protection blog around. There you will find out, for example, to what extent Extreme weather and climate change are interrelated.
