We only get one planet, looking after it is win-win (5 CSR tips to save money in business)

We live in a world where each person and business needs to take responsibility for the future of the planet. This, the third rock from the sun has a limited amount of resources and until the day comes where we can safely navigate the cosmos we’ll need to look after ourselves by taking care of our planet as much as possible. So have you considered going green?

4 min read

In business we all love win-win solutions. Going green doesn’t necessarily mean it needs to cost the world and if approached in a timely and a strategic way it can be a real money saver for you and your business as well as making you look good to all of your stake holders; a win for the environment and a win for your business.

It also doesn’t mean you need to rush out and change every little thing of your business, making small incremental changes to how your business operates over time will lessen the impact of any upfront cost therefore making savings in the long run.

Find out about the benefits of CSR for your business

In this blog we’ve put together 5 CSR cost saving exercises for you to consider for your business.

1. Lower energy bills

2. Save the trees

3. Reuse and recycle

4. Staying hydrated

5. Tax relief

1. Lower energy bills

Running an office can be expensive, especially when it comes to paying for electricity, so you should consider where you can be more efficient.

• Consider eco-friendly lighting, there is an upfront cost from changing traditional light bulbs to LED but the cost will save you in the long run. LED lights will last more than 20 years and use considerably less energy than their traditional counterparts.
• If your office has a working kitchen with a number of appliances, when it comes time to replace old or faulty goods consider purchasing energy efficient products to replace them.
• Low flow water closet fixtures like toilets, faucets and urinals can also be considered when it comes to saving money on your annual water rates for your business.

2. Save the trees

Paper is a product that often gets overlooked as an expensive cost to a business but depending upon your size the annual cost of paper can really rack up, so here is some food for thought regarding your paper needs.

• Go paperless, as we live in the digital world can you consider moving the entire business to using nothing but electronic documents and digital folders? You will need to make sure your servers are secure, and staff get in the habit of storing digital files regularly, safely and intelligently.
• If going paperless is not appropriate for your business, then can you shift the culture of the business to be more paper conservative? Big savings can be made by having a business conscious of how much is being used and/or wasted.
• Can your team recycle used paper? How often do we print out an email or document where the page will have just an email signature or single line of text on it? Can this page then not be used again for other internal reprinting?

3. Reuse and recycle

Can your office reuse standard everyday stationary products? Things to consider are packaging, boxes, file and hanging folders, binders, rubber bands and paper clips.

Recycling office purchases like old mobile phones, ink and toner cartridges, old PC’s and parts can make you money as services are available that pay for these goods or will discount new purchases when you recycle your older used products.

A way to encourage staff to be mindful of reusing and recycling office goods is to keep all new office stationary under lock and key forcing staff to need to request replacements which encourages them to think about these products more and the culture and cost to the business.

When needing new furniture why not consider second hand? Often you will find a bargain on needed products in great condition and perfectly fit for purpose.

4. Staying hydrated

Many business’ understand that a healthy hydrated work force is a productive one so in some cases have taken to supplying staff with bottles of water. Problem here is often water bottles are disposable leading to extra plastic in the environment and secondly there is a cost associated.

Consider having water purifiers and water filters fitted to company faucets and encourage staff to bring reusable sports bottles so they stay hydrated, the environment is healthier, and it costs the business less.

5. Tax relief

The UK Government offers several Tax relief schemes to encourage businesses to operate in an environmentally friendly way. They cover areas like allowances for purchasing energy efficient appliances and more.

So if you are looking into becoming an environmental friendlier business look into what support the government can assist you with.

Interested in finding out more about TXM Recruit why not speak to one of our consultants?