For millions of us, the current state of things has forced us to reflect on our own wastage. Reducing material waste provides several key benefits: It reduces costs, lessens the overall environmental impact and sets an important precedent for others to follow.
From an individual perspective, it’s surprisingly easy to make a few simple changes that cut down on your carbon footprint but for a business, things are a little more complicated. For one thing, a business will use significantly more raw materials than a typical member of the public and there are dozens, hundreds or even thousands of employees to consider.
In essence, it’s all about cultivating a culture of responsibility and that means setting standards. But what standards should businesses be setting to ensure they’re wasting less and making less of an environmental impact?
Forecasting
Nobody can see into the future but we are privy to more analytical tools now that make forecasting that much more reliable and effective. Hire a forecasting team and invest in the best forecasting software and then focus your efforts on environmental goals. You should be able to, for example, calculate the number of materials needed for the next operating period, allowing you to reduce the amount of wasted materials. Of course, a good forecasting system will require data. So ensure that everything is being measured wherever possible.
Using renewable materials
Using renewable materials will help you to lessen your environmental impact as any materials that are wasted will be more easily replenished. For example, using plywood for flooring projects will be a more sustainable solution than hardwoods and installing solar panels on the roof of your office and using the energy generated to power a percentage of your business will prove a significantly more sustainable option than using mains power. And you might even be able to sell the power that you don’t use back to the grid.
Reducing packaging
It’s estimated that a third of the waste generated by businesses in developing countries is packaging alone. Think about the ways you can cut down on your packaging – for example, switch from using cardboard the reusable plastic shipping containers and setting up a partnership with a local timber yard to ensure that all pallets are repaired and brought back into the distribution chain. Also, try to completely eliminate plastic bottles from your workplace by installing a water fountain or water cooler. Going paperless is also a remarkably effective way of cutting back on waste, however, we appreciate this might not be possible for some businesses.
Training staff
Training staff to recycle materials where possible, making sure sustainability and reducing waste is a key focus across the business. Hold training sessions and regularly audit your office to ensure that staff are sticking with the program. And don’t be afraid to make positive changes when those audits turn up negative results!
