Environmentally Friendly Working Practice

More than ever before many companies are taking their responsibilities to the environment seriously. Huge corporations are keen to draw attention to information about their reduced carbon foot print, and a whole industry has sprung up around the need for a professional approach to corporate social responsibility.

In smaller businesses employees are being asked to consider the environment and make conscientious choices about the resources they are using on a daily basis. We have all seen the email sign off which says ‘do you really need to print this message?’ and that is one example of a great step in the right direction. Recycling paper waste produced by the office shredder and through unwanted junk mail is big business and can have a financial impact for a company as well as a positive environmental one. Paper and ink wastage are two of the largest misuses of office resources in this country, so do your bit to change this as soon as you can.

Purchasing managers are largely responsible for implementing ecological changes to office policy on the ‘shop floor’ and this can mean anything from a drive to encourage paper-free working to a change in the brand of teabags in the staff room. Paper shredders will always be important when the focus is on recycling so include a plan to encourage better paper recycling in any operation to improve environmentally friendly working practice.

Corporate social responsibility can also be about deploying your company’s assets to the greater good as well. Freeing up your employees time to volunteer to do charity work or donating goods to worthy causes are just a couple of ways in which to do this. Think laterally about ways to make a difference and the business will be rewarded as well through positive public relations and staff morale: both well worth it. Start planning to make a difference now – you won’t regret it.