If you’re running a trade business and you’re concerned about the state of the environment, then there are a number of steps you might take to make your operations that little bit greener.
There aren’t just ethical incentives for making these kinds of changes. In many cases, you might find that you end up on the right side of future regulations, and that you end up financially better off, too.
Assessing your impact
If you’re going to make meaningful changes, it’s important to assess the scale of the problem. This means conducting a thorough review of your operations and how much carbon they emit. This will allow you to judge where you can make the easiest gains. You can then use the result of your environmental audit as a basis for regular follow-ups.
Some of the more common sources of CO2 include your fuel and energy consumption. This should include the amount of miles put in by your fleets, and the amount of energy you’re consuming in all of your premises. If you are keeping good records, then this information is easy to collate. You should pay particular attention to the gas top-ups to your air conditioning systems, which are particular carbon intensive.
Reducing your impact
There are dozens of steps you might take to get your carbon footprint down. These fall under several distinct categories, from clothing to food to transport. Generally speaking, you’ll want to keep your supply chains as short as possible, and to avoid shipping via air.
You might also look to eliminate plastics from your packaging, and to go paperless when it comes to internal office communications. Remember that going green shouldn’t just mean limiting the emissions of your business, but those of everyone you deal with. Choose green suppliers and green buyers, and explain why you’re taking these decisions.
You might pay particular attention to the times at which you’re using certain appliances and features. For example, if there’s no-one in the office, then you might be wasting energy by heating the entire space. This is a particular concern in an age of remote working, where just a few workers might be in the space at any given time.
Of course, remote and hybrid working has the potential to confer a range of green benefits, since it eliminates potentially polluting forms of transport. But you should balance this against the potential for waste.
Choosing the right products
For certain kinds of business, supply chains, methods and choice of materials will matter a great deal. For example, if you’re remodelling houses, you’ll want to ensure that it’s nicely insulated, with the help of roof insulation, double-glazing and other features. That way, you’ll be limiting not just the emissions directly created by your business, but those of homeowners for decades to come.
