Helpful Tips to Create a More Sustainable and Eco Friendly Workplace


Are you ready to make your office or commercial building eco-friendly and more sustainable? If so, you will find you are a member of a growing number of business owners who are taking a stance on doing something good for the environment. Not only is this good for your business, but also your employees and customers. Adjusting your business to have a future in caring for the environment will pull in more customers by showing that you care about the state of the world right now, and you are doing your part to make a difference.

While wanting to make a change is great, knowing what to do is essential. Some tips you can begin implementing to make your business eco-friendlier can be found below.

Go Paperless

A great way to begin your eco-friendly efforts, consider limiting the amount of printing your workers do. In a modern office, printing is no longer considered a necessity thanks to the use of a quality document management systemOpens in a new tab., online collaboration apps, and more.

Some other methods that you can use to help limit the use of paper are to include all announcements and memos by email and using a cloud storage solution for file sharing needs. You can also attempt to use 100 percent recycled paper and request FSC Certified paperOpens in a new tab. for printing needs. Not only is going paperless saving millions of trees, this adjustment will keep your company running in the modern era.

Get Rid of All the Plastic

It is a good idea to swap out the single-use plastic cups and all plastic water bottles for reusable coffee cups and water bottles. You may also want to order branded company items, which will let everyone in the office join in on the eco-friendly efforts. Encourage your employees to take part in the change you are making around the company and in the office by suggesting for them to use reusable containers for lunches too.

Follow the Three R’s – Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle

While this may seem like an obvious tip, if you don’t make recycling options easy or apparent, there’s a good chance your employees won’t use them. Be sure that there are clearly labeled bins that are easy to find throughout your office or building. Remember, recycling is much more than just putting old newspapers in a bin. You should also encourage those in the office to reuse things like notebooks or folders and to take notes on both the front and back of the paper. This will be good for the environment and it will help your office save quite a bit of money. Eventually, the best option would be to completely eliminate the need for physical folders and notebooks and use programs on electronic devices to store all the files you would need for work. You will find that if you choose this route, keeping files, notes, and documents stored on a computer is actually an efficient and organized way to run your company.

Use Non-Toxic Cleaning Products

There are several standard office cleaning products that are full of harsh chemicals that may be harmful to the environment and employee’s bodies. Think about asking your cleaning company to use eco-friendly or green products. Some top eco-friendly commercial cleaning productsOpens in a new tab. are available on this list. An added bonus would be to find cleaning products that use recycled bottles for their containers. That way, you aren’t adding to even more plastic waste.

Limit Cooling and Heating

Even though this may seem impossible because finding the right temperature to satisfy all workers, just making a few smaller changes, like turning the thermostat off after-hours and following casual dress code during the summer will help to keep these costs low. It is also a good idea to make sure that your HVAC system is in good condition and check it regularly. This will help ensure it remains in efficient order and that it is using as little energy as possible.

Installing modern ceiling fans throughout the office is a great way to use less air conditioning throughout the summer season and in return, adds a little bit of decor and design to the office building. If a majority of your company is run online, consider letting employees work from home certain days out of the week. This way, you won’t always need to have the power running in your building 24/7. Reducing the amount of excessive power that is needed to run a building, lowers the amount of fuel needed to generate electricity.

Choose Eco-Friendly Snacks for the Break Room

Support tea, coffee, and snack companies that offer sustainably produced products. Get in touch with these companies to begin providing their product for your office. Also, try to find companies that do this in your local area to help reduce your carbon footprint even further. There is an array of subscription services to help you simplify this process. Not only will you be doing something good for the environment, but you will also help to improve the overall health of your employees. You don’t need to keep a vending machine full of processed foods. These snacks are unhealthy to the body and their individually wrapped plastic containers just add the current issue of plastic waste. Employees would appreciate and enjoy seeing that they are given healthier options, like fruits and vegetables, within the workplace.

Build a Green Committee

Gather a team of employees to help you make smart, sustainable, and green decisions. By doing this, you will have the ability to educate your office while facilitating collaboration and interactions between your workers, who may not have worked together in the past. This is a great way to encourage your employees to get involved and creative. Use their suggestions to support a more eco-friendly workplace specifically for your company.

Unplug Electronics and Devices

It is important to remember to turn off all copiers, printers, computers, and any other electronics that don’t need to stay on at the end of the day. This will help you reduce total energy usage. You can even set the computers to more energy-efficient settings where the monitors will shut off after a certain amount of not being used.

Make Adjustments to the Lighting

Adjusting how and when you are using lighting in your office will make a huge impact on your overall energy usage. Be sure to switch the lights off when you leave a room, or you can install motion sensors. If possible, use natural light, instead of artificial light. Modern buildings take advantage of natural light by increasing the amount of windows and skylights throughout the office. This look is also very modern and creates a comfortable environment for your employees. Less windows lead to your employees feeling trapped inside and longing to leave.

If you want to make your office or commercial building more eco-friendly, a good place to begin is with the tips found here. When you know what to do, you can achieve the sustainable features that you want and need. Being informed is the best way to ensure the desired results are achieved. There are other steps you can take to make your office more sustainable, too.

Steve Todd

Steve Todd, founder of Open Sourced Workplace and is a recognized thought leader in workplace strategy and the future of work. With a passion for work from anywhere, Steve has successfully implemented transformative strategies that enhance productivity and employee satisfaction. Through Open Sourced Workplace, he fosters collaboration among HR, facilities management, technology, and real estate professionals, providing valuable insights and resources. As a speaker and contributor to various publications, Steve remains dedicated to staying at the forefront of workplace innovation, helping organizations thrive in today's dynamic work environment.

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