Simple Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

While not every business has the budget to do a complete sustainability overhaul, there are many simple and cost-effective changes every organization can make to reduce its carbon footprint. Here are a few good places to start:

Set Current Benchmarks

To make your business more sustainable, you first need to see where you stand. Knowing your company’s existing carbon consumption allows you to set a benchmark for the future and measure your improvements. Have an eco-conscious team member or auditor performs the assessment. There are also a variety of affordable online tools, such as The Climate Registry, that can give you a better idea of your business’ carbon consumption. With a sustainability analysis, you can determine which areas of your operation need improvement and develop the most effective strategy for meeting your benchmark.

Save energy

For most companies, energy use is accountable for a sizeable portion of their carbon footprint. Fortunately, with some easy adjustments, you can greatly reduce your energy consumption. Heating and cooling is a leading contributor of energy use, so make sure your HVAC system is well-maintained and running efficiently. If your system is old, upgrade to an energy-efficient model and have it routinely inspected and repaired. Use a programmable thermostat to adjust the temperature when your facility is not being used. Energy-efficient appliances, adequate insulation, LED light bulbs, low-flow water fixtures, and simply unplugging machinery when it’s not in use can help save energy as well.

Reconsider order fulfillment   

Reassessing how you package and ship your products can help your business reduce packaging waste and fuel consumption, while increasing efficiency. By using box making machines, companies can create the right-sized box for the products they need to ship in real-time. With smallest possible box as the objective less corrugated and filler material is used. A right-sized box also means companies can reduce their fuel consumption, as more products can fit on the truck. This protects our environment, enables the circular economy, and results in cleaner air for us all.

These are a few of the many ways your business can reduce its carbon footprint. By taking these small but meaningful steps, your efforts can make a big difference.