With human activity releasing over 4.5 billion tons of annual CO2 emissions in the U.S. alone, businesses are beginning to recognize the importance of sustainable development efforts. The time is now to set aside the addiction to convenience and seek out new ways to meet your company’s needs, while minimizing commercial waste. Here are eight simple ways distributors can make their promo business greener.

1. Promote employee recycling.

Ensure the office has clearly marked recycling bins, making it easy for employees to properly separate their waste. Additionally, be sure to reuse boxes and repurpose packaging. It can be helpful to place signs around the office, specifically near disposal bins, to serve as a reminder of what can be reused and recycled.

2. Replace paper towels with hand dryers.

Paper towel use increases solid waste, water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions more than you might expect, considering the 13 billion pounds of paper towels used in the U.S. each year. According to the Electric Handdryer Association, that equates to about 6 million pounds that ends up in the trash — enough paper to balance a scale with 240 school buses on the other end. The switch to hand dryers can cut business costs over time and lessen environmental impact. Take caution when choosing which dryer to invest in, however, as some are much more energy efficient than others.

3. Power down at the end of the workday.

Ideally, the office should cease all energy use after a day’s work, meaning computer monitors should be powered down and lights should be off. Not only does this significantly lower the electricity bill, but it’s also an easy way to conserve energy. Investing in lighting controls makes it easy; timers, dimmers and sensors can bring the energy wasted on unnecessary lighting down to nearly zero. These timing controls are compatible with LED and CFL light bulbs.

4. Provide employees with reusable water bottles.

Self-branded products are a great way to encourage company pride, while simultaneously limiting plastic waste in the office. Give your staff reusable water bottles, coffee cups and metal straws – all imprinted with your logo – to promote eco-friendly efforts and show employee appreciation. Consider personalizing the items so there’s no confusion about item ownership in the break room.

5. Opt for remote work when possible.

The pandemic proved that a lot of company operations can be carried out remotely and digitally. Giving employees the option to work remotely, when possible, can squash the sizeable toll that commutes take on the environment.

6. Work with other green businesses.

Promote an industry-wide charge toward greater sustainability by taking a deeper look at the policies held by partner companies. Try partnering with suppliers that are also keen on reducing commercial waste and other eco-friendly efforts. Green procurement, which involves sourcing goods and services from other sustainable companies, can help you transition to a greener supply chain.

7. Switch to cloud computing.

Data serves as the building blocks of any modern enterprise, and few are aware of its implications. According to Accenture’s report on cloud computing, over 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are generated each day, much of which is unusable and coincides with unnecessary energy costs to transmit and store. The implications of that figure aren’t as tangible as the plastic in corporate recycling bins, but it warrants a deeper look from businesses. Modern data foundations on the cloud, through formats like Google Apps, Microsoft Office 365 and Apple iCloud, allow employees to share and access information from anywhere, which reduces travel costs, carbon emissions and printing costs. It also limits the need for expensive, power intensive servers, making the switch to the cloud a worthwhile option for businesses to both further sustainability efforts and maximize their data’s business value.

8. Appoint employees to ensure sustainability targets are met.

It can be hard to balance the demands of running a business while focusing on sustainable efforts. For this reason, it may be helpful to appoint specific employees with the task of providing updates on recent efforts and future goals to ensure progress is made.

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