3 Ways To Be Less Wasteful As A Business

To have an efficiently run business and create some positive buzz around your reputation, you may want to take a look at how much waste your business is creating or contributing to. Not only will reducing your waste likely help you save money in many areas, but it can also help you gain more customers or clients, and loyal ones at that.

To help you find ways that you can see these types of improvements for your organization, here are three ways to be less wasteful as a business. 

Limit Your Energy Consumption

One of the best and easiest ways to have less waste as a business is to use less energy whenever or wherever you can. 

For many businesses that have had to keep their employees working from home, using less energy on-site has likely been a pretty easy feat. But for those who are still running their companies as usual, Rick Leblanc, a contributor to The Balance Small Business, recommends that you reduce your energy consumption by turning off lights and other electronics when they aren’t in use, keeping doors and windows closed in areas that you’re paying to heat or cool, and upgrading an lights or electric systems that may not be as efficient as they could be. By taking these actions, you should be able to use less energy on a regular basis, which will lower your overhead costs and help you to reduce waste as well. 

Think Twice Before Buying

As was mentioned above, it’s not only the waste that you’re creating that you should be concerned with, but also the waste that you’re contributing to or playing a part in. With this in mind, you should make it a policy within your company to think twice before buying something new to have or use within your business.

If you take more time to really think and consider before buying something for your business, you may find that you already have something that you need or can repurpose something you currently are using to fit this other purpose. According to Annie Pilon, a contributor to Small Business Trends, this allows for fewer new supplies to be used or even needed, which can reduce waste.

Offer Incentives To Employees And Customers

As a business, you have an influence over a large number of people. And to use this power for the greater good, you may want to consider how you could encourage both your employees and your customers to do their part in reducing waste, too. 

Depending on your business, Mark Esposito, Terence Tse, and Khaled Soufani, contributors to the Harvard Business Review, share that you can offer incentives to either get your customers to be more interested in reusing or recycling your products. Also, within your own office, you can encourage your employees to compost any food waste that they might have at work. 

If you’re ready to start taking steps to be less wasteful as a business, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you achieve this goal.