10 Easy Steps to Make Your Sustainable Office More Eco-Friendly
Jul 8
8 min read
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You Already Own a Sustainable Business. Let's Make it Even More Green!
If you own your own business or have ever worked in an office, chances are you’ve seen an endless stream of Amazon, Staples, and Office Depot boxes delivered weekly. While office supplies are essential for smooth operations, there are many simple steps you can take to ensure your office is eco-friendly.
By making a few simple changes, you can reduce your office’s carbon footprint and support sustainability efforts.
From excessive packaging waste to energy-hungry lighting systems, many office habits contribute to pollution and carbon emissions.
The good news?
Making your office eco-friendly doesn’t have to be complicated. By making a few key changes, you can drastically reduce your office’s carbon footprint while promoting sustainability.
Here’s how to create a greener, more consumer-conscious, sustainable workplace in just ten easy steps.
Also, keep reading for valuable insights on your sustainable business.
1. Evaluate What You Have and What You Actually Need
Before purchasing new supplies take inventory of what your office already has. Over-ordering and disposing of unused products contribute to unnecessary waste.
Here’s how you can be more strategic:
Pause Auto-Ship Subscriptions: Many offices unknowingly accumulate excess supplies due to automated reordering systems. Disable these and reorder only when needed.
Make a Two-Column List: In one column, list all essential office supplies. In the second, research eco-friendly alternatives. This method simplifies future purchasing decisions.
Donate Unused Supplies: If you have excess supplies that you no longer need, consider donating them to local schools or nonprofits instead of throwing them away.
Taking the time to assess your inventory ensures that your office is not contributing to unnecessary landfill waste. . The goal is to build sustainable habits after using what has already been purchased.
Let’s dive into the best eco-friendly office supplies and equipment.
2. Swap Plastic for Eco-Friendly Alternatives
Once you run out of plastic and Styrofoam products, replace them with sustainable alternatives. Instead of plastic utensils and plates, choose bamboo, sugarcane, or compostable materials.
Plates & Bowls: Swap plastic and Styrofoam for bamboo or sugarcane compostable options, which break down naturally without releasing harmful chemicals.
Stirrers & Silverware: Replace plastic stirrers with bamboo ones, and switch to real silverware or compostable birchwood utensils for grab and go convenience.
Cups: Use reusable cups and mugs instead of plastic cups to reduce waste.
Offer each employee their own individual company cup and educate them on the number of cups saved by reusing this one instead of paper mugs. This will also lower cost, since fewer cups will be purchased and thrown away.
Pro-tip: reusable cups are a great marketing tool for your sustainable business!
There are many perks when purchasing from an eco-friendly brand. For example, brands like EcoPreps plant a tree and feed a child for every 360-piece birch wood set ordered, while Ecovita offers compostable corn-based cutlery.
A 60-person office could plant a few trees and help feed several children every quarter simply by switching from plastic to birch wood. Wowza!
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3. Replace Single-Use Plastic Bottles with a Water Station
Instead of stocking cases of bottled water, install a filtered water fountain with a digital counter that tracks the number of plastic bottles saved. This actively shows your team how much small changes add up.
These small changes can:
Reduce plastic waste significantly.
Encourage employees to bring reusable bottles.
Lower office expenses by eliminating the need to buy cases of bottled water.
Eliminate the need for heavy gallon water jug replacements.
Add to usable square footage by eliminating the need for additional water bottle and water jug storage.
Provide each employee with their own insulated cups like YETI and/or ceramic office mugs (with YOUR logo) as a part of your sustainable initiative.
Maybe you have a competition every Q4 to see who saved the most water and the winner gets the annual YETI.
To reinforce the positive eco-friendly upgrades, send an email about all the steps you’re taking to create a healthy and sustainable office environment. This will foster excitement and inform employees of simple changes for a greener office space.
4. How to Reduce Energy Consumption In the Office
Swap out harsh fluorescent lighting for light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs, which last longer, are more durable and consume less energy.
According to the National Headache Foundation, fluorescent lighting can contribute to headaches, nausea, and eye strain, making LED lighting a healthier and more efficient option.
Switching to LED bulbs has several advantages:
The lifespan of LED’s is 2-5 times longer.
Uses 80% less energy than fluorescent bulbs.
Emits less heat reducing AC cost.
Does not contain mercury making them a safer option.
Making this switch will help your business and your employees. Win-win.
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5. Use Plant-Based Inks and Toners to Increase Sustainability
Standard printer toner contains harmful chemicals and can be incredibly messy to change.
Although these cartridges might be more expensive at first they will outlast the convention ink boxes and save you money over time.
Opt for plant-based soy or vegetable oil toners, such as those from Lexmark, which emit fewer volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and are easier to recycle. All while maintaining high print quality. This is much safer to remove and recycle when swapping out empty toner cartridges.
6. Simple Changes to Office For A Greener Office - Choose Refillable Pens
Reduce single-use plastic waste by switching to refillable pens. Brands like Pilot offer:
High-quality refillable ink options.
Extending the lifespan of office pens minimizes plastic disposal.
Lower the demand for raw materials and cost.
Provide a sleek professional appearance.
Swapping to this more sustainable option will save you money. You’re already paying to ship in disposable pens. With this switch you will be ordering less refillable capsules thus saving some dough on materials and shipping costs.
7. Switch to Environmentally Friendly Cleaning Products
Did you know there are cleaning products called Designed for Environment (DfE)? These are approved antimicrobial cleaning products that are safer for your health and the environment. They are certified by the EPA to meet the pesticide registration requirements.
These products are certified by the EPA to meet the pesticide registration requirements.
Avoid brands with added dyes. These added dyes can leach into water sources and seriously harm aquatic wildlife.
Look for brands that contain hydrogen peroxide, lactic acid, citric acid, isopropanol, or ethanol, such as:
Purell Healthcare Surface Disinfectant Spray
ECOS Multi-Purpose Disinfectant & Sanitizer
Amerisan SoftenSure Fragrance-Free Lotion Foam
This is great for individuals with allergies or sensitive skin as most of these brands are fragrance free.
8. Opt for Sustainable Packaging Materials
When shipping or receiving goods, choose eco-friendly packaging materials:
Box fillers: Use biodegradable loose-fill or non-toxic packing peanuts made from wheat or corn starch. Or recyclable brown paper can be crunched up and used as a box filler.
Styrofoam alternatives: Consider mycelium packaging, a strong, sustainable material derived from fungi, corn stalk or wood chips. It requires minimal water to produce, since it naturally binds and dries to a hard material. This material requires zero fossil fuels. This keeps CO2 emissions low and the material is compostable.
Recycled cardboard: Many sustainable companies opt for these materials to advertise their sustainability choices.
This can cut down on unnecessary waste without compromising shipping efficiency.
9. Upgrade your Environmental Workplace to Solar-Powered Keyboards and Mice
Like us humans, old keyboards wear out. Replace them with solar-powered wireless keyboards from brands like HP or Casio. These keyboards eliminate the need for lithium batteries and can hold a charge for up to three months, reducing electronic waste. No need to worry about batteries or staying tethered to your computer.
Bonus feature: They have quiet keys (trust us your bullpen will appreciate this).
If you need a new mouse look no further than the solar powered ones from Logitech. This high-performance wireless mouse can last three years while maintaining cursor control and hyper fast scrolling. Super cool and super fast.
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10. Implement a Hybrid Business Model For a Greener Office
Allowing employees to work from home a few days a week significantly reduces carbon emissions by cutting down on commuting. Even if it’s just one day that makes a big difference to the environment.
Talk to your employees about which days work better for them/ Maybe even alternating every few weeks.
Some of the pros of hybrid model are:
Decreases the number of vehicles on the road, improving air quality.
Maximizes office space efficiency by implementing shared desks in a smaller square footage.
Reduces energy consumption by limiting the need for lighting, heating, and cooling an underutilized office space.
Improves employee well-being by fostering a flexible work-life balance.
Trusting your employees to work from home a few days out of the week can help boost morale and productivity. That’s a win for your sustainable business and the workers who run it.
Bonus Tip: Move to a Green Office for Maximum Sustainability
For businesses looking to go all-in on sustainability, consider moving to a green-certified office building.
You can even upgrade your current space with eco-friendly features such as:
Motion-activated lighting to reduce unnecessary energy use.
Power over Ethernet (PoE) technology for energy-efficient heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems.
Low-flow office sink taps and stormwater management systems to conserve water.
On-site composting and recycling programs to minimize waste.
Consider making a cost benefit analysis before making the switch to ecofriendly building. Many of the monthly costs will decrease, adding an additional incentive to consider making these changes. The EPA offers a list of sustainable office building requirements to help guide your transition.
If you’re able to move, you can rent plastic bins to move the office instead of purchasing more eco-friendly cardboard. Companies like U-Haul and Stack offer packages for multiple dollies and large stackable plastic bins to be delivered to your office.
Since the bins are used over and over this option is eco-friendly and reduces the need to purchase cardboard boxes and packing tape.
This Isn’t The End– It’s The Beginning!
Small changes can collectively yield significant outcomes. Evaluating your requirements and considering environmentally friendly alternatives is an essential preliminary step.
Often, these choices benefit the long-term health of employees, our environment, and the company's finances. By practicing all the steps above your office can effectively reduce its carbon footprint. Additionally, introducing a hybrid office schedule may minimize waste while enhancing company culture.
Begin implementing these measures today to establish a healthier and more sustainable workspace for yourself and the planet.
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Which one of these will you try first?
Tell me in the comments below.
References
Design for the Environment (DfE)
