“Going Green” and the financial implications for your business For years virtually every person, company and government organisation has been saluting the benefits of “going green”, but seldom do these entities take the time to discuss the COST IMPLICATIONS of doing so. Although the implementation of simple eco-friendly steps and systems may have a marginal financial impact on average households, in the case of businesses the change can be financially draining! However, apart from “social-responsibility” going green can in fact be addressed cost-effectively and even produce other financial benefits! For your business, making incremental changes offers an ideal solution, especially if you don’t have the working capital to make that “big transformation” just yet! For example, the addition of a paper recycling bin to the office is one simple step to lowering landfill volumes. Once you have the capital to implement other changes such as eco-friendly furniture or solar panels, you will already have the basics in place and these additions will be easier. So what can you do to battle the cost implications of going green for your business? 1.Start small and change only those things that will cost you little to no money. 2.Inform your staff complement of your intentions, to ensure they are aligned with your new strategy. 3. Give small rewards to those individuals who undertake the strategy and make it their “own”, either with great cost-effective ideas or by working to go green themselves. 4.Inform your clients or external stakeholders of your intentions, and determine how they can help you make it possible. 5.Research operational aspects of your business to find the most economical yet eco-friendly “replacement solutions”. For instance, LED lighting technology will lower your wattage while offering a superior product with lower costs. This offers noteworthy benefits to businesses such as filling stations that spend large amounts on canopy lighting. Creating a paperless environment can produce substantial savings, even for a relatively small business. For instance, you can add an email signature that encourages people not to print. Apart from being eco-friendly other benefits include, saving on space, stationary and cumbersome “manual storage systems”. Remember that essentially, going green is progressive and further developments are still likely to unfold over time. A look at the above considerations demonstrates that even small businesses can play their part in lowering the carbon footprint in a cost-effective and even cost-saving manner! Article brought to you by: Genesis Articles
Posted on: Wed, 28 Aug 2013 11:22:31 +0000
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