From Guest Blogger Brooke Chaplan: Three Effective Business Practices that Are Also Eco-Friendly

Portrait of a young woman in waiting area, smiling

In recent years, Fortune 500 companies have been actively exploring ways to make their business operations more sustainable and environmentally friendly. Among the many good reasons that support the idea of implementing eco-friendly business practices, efficiency is seldom discussed. Some companies practice sustainability mostly out of compliance or to improve their public image, but doing so undermines the true spirit of adopting practices that can actually improve operations and financial bottom lines.

The following business practices are not only eco-friendly but also very efficient for most companies operating in the 21st century.

Cloud Computing

With the exception of companies that are legally required to manage their digital infrastructure on-premise, there is no reason for business owners to ignore the benefits of cloud computing. The green aspect of cloud computing is centered on carbon footprint reduction; in essence, the less hardware a company has to maintain, the lesser the impact to the environment. The efficient aspect of cloud computing is related to the freedom of not having to invest in the servers needed to support an office network, which also means not having to staff an IT department. It is also more efficient to use Software-as-a-Service solutions than to build proprietary applications that may require testing and troubleshooting.

Paperless Offices

The paperless business revolution started when companies started ditching their printers, copiers and fax machines at the end of the 20th century. These days, business owners are looking at the complete elimination of paper waste by stocking their cafeterias with reusable plates and silverware. Furthermore, some companies are giving employees incentives when they show that they have given up completely on using paper for taking notes.

Consolidating Business Communications

Business owners will often forget that their office communications can also represent a substantial carbon footprint level, particularly when they are not consolidated. Think about a call center where agents take calls on desk phones, respond to emails on computer workstations and conduct online chats via mobile messaging apps; the sum of all these devices can add up to significant carbon footprint that can be effectively reduced with solutions such as unified communications, a business protocol that runs on a single VoIP network. Another eco-friendly practice for business communications would be to use commercial two-way radios for internal conversations since these devices create their own networks and do not consume too much electricity when recharging their batteries.

In the end, a green business does not have to sacrifice efficiency in the name of environmental conservation. The three strategies listed herein can reduce the carbon footprint of your company while also making your business operations run more efficiently.