Release: Nov 10, 2021
Looking After Our Environment – 3 Ways Your Business Can Make A Difference
The wellbeing of the environment is increasingly on the radar of businesses and individuals alike. With greater volumes of research, dialogue and anecdotal experience, there is more urgency and determination than ever before to set Mother Earth back on the right track.
In light of this, we caught up with one of our Formitize team members Donny, a passionate environmentalist, to discuss some of the ways businesses around the world can do their part for the planet.
Here are his top tips:
1. Continue working from home when you can
“I think people have become more environmentally aware after Covid-19,” says Donny. “With less cars and foot traffic as people were forced to go digital, I think we witnessed the environment healing. But it’s important that we don’t revert back to some of our old ways after two years.”
If we can cut down on working in the office, Donny says we’ll not only be producing less carbon emissions from less transport and less power, but we’ll be requiring less space and furniture too.
“As everyone moves online, businesses can cut down on space that can be used more productively.”
2. Go paperless to reduce resources
According to Donny, continuing to use paper means we are doing things the hard way, and we’re wasting unnecessary resources.
“There are so many ways carbon emissions are reduced when we go paperless in our businesses. Especially in light of Covid-19, we can have safer and faster transactions of information because it is literally two clicks away,” he says.
“Instead of having to travel to pick up files, which uses more carbon emissions, things can be done instantaneously with less time and money spent. We can also take the stress and resources off the post service.”
Until this point, Donny says many businesses have chosen not to think about the chain reaction that paper has on our environment, but it is going to catch up at some stage.
“Wherever a business can digitise and centralise their business, they should,” he adds.
Helping businesses become more efficient while helping the environment is one of the key reasons Formitize exists. Used as a complete, end-to-end system with digital documents for almost anything you could think of, there’s no need for paper at all.
3. Educate and encourage staff to adopt greener strategies
Being more sustainable is a long-term process that requires everyone to do their bit. From opting for reusable coffee cups, to thinking about food waste and transport methods, Donny believes business owners can be helping their team members understand how they can individually make a difference in the workplace.
Overall, Donny says that if the environmental reasons aren’t enough for businesses to want to make a change, then the financial reasons should be.
“The benefits of working from home more and using paperless systems are very economical for a business, but consumers are starting to demand more sustainability from companies too. Consumers are driven by brands that align with their own values, so it makes complete sense for businesses to make changes and be an example.
“There are only going to be more people born into the world, and that means more resources. Be open to the statistics and being able to save money.”