Green your business

Make your business eco-friendlier: some hows and whys

Doing the right thing for the environment saves whales, saves your business money, and can add to the list of things that set you apart from your competition. Customers are increasingly expecting good environmental practices from businesses of all sizes.

Globally, many businesses are making efforts to become more eco-friendly. Some small business owners may feel however, that their environmental efforts wouldn’t make a difference. But they do. When put into continuous practice, green choices matter hugely, and it feels good to make a difference.

Why make your business greener?

Customers are becoming more discerning and are choosing to shop where they know the business is consciously making a difference to the environment.

To green your business is good for the environment, good for the efficiency of your operations, reduces the cost of running your business, and is good for your business image. On top of all that, taking steps to be more eco-friendly and make a difference are actually a lot easier to do than you might think.

Ways to become an eco-friendly workplace

Greening your business is easy and small things can make a big difference. Here are some simple suggestions to green your business, and to make them even easier to implement, we’ve divided them into four categories. We also have other ideas on how to change your workplace to green, and if you would like to discuss any of them, call 0508 467 462.

Use recycled paper

To be more eco-friendly with paper use printing paper, packaging, toilet paper, hand towels, tissues and serviettes made from recycled materials. They are significantly less harmful to the environment and utilise less water and energy in their production. Using recycled paper and other reusable materials are, simply put, a huge net positive for any company.

Be smart with paper

Whenever possible, skip paper entirely, but if you do have to print, make sure you are using eco-friendly paper. Reducing how much you print is an important step and can be made possible by better utilising online invoices and print and scan solutions so documents can be shared, edited and stored digitally. Using cloud storage makes this even easier, and safer. Moving to a paperless office, or as near as you can, saves storage space as well. In this digital age, it is easier than ever to transition to eco-friendly, online systems.

And if you do print a document then before throwing it out, re-use it to print on the other side. It cuts down paper costs dramatically.

Don’t forget to recycle the paper you already have in your office.

Make recycling simple

Along with using recycled material, engage in recycling practices to reduce waste. Making your business greener can be as simple as putting together a basic recycling program.

Recycle everything your council allows: paper, cans, glass, plastic bags, cardboard, plastic bottles, food scraps, coffee grinds. Provide all areas of the office with recycling bins to encourage people to recycle.

Place recycling bins around the office: at each desk or workstation. Making it easy to recycle can change the way staff think about the rubbish they create.

Why not freecycle unwanted Items such as desks, chairs, cabinets, computers and phones on your local group of Freecycle.org or on TradeMe? You’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that those items are now in good hands and not going to waste.

Recycling options can bring about a positive culture at your business. More often than not, employees want to recycle rather than throw something away and they will, therefore, respond positively to using products and approaches that support their own environmental practices at home.

Move to eco-friendly cleaning chemicals

Chemicals in many cleaning products can have harmful implications for the environment and your health, so where possible, switch to non-toxic products. Making the switch to eco-friendly cleaning chemicals is easy and is a simple step in taking care of your employees, their workspace, and the environment.

Replacing one non-green cleaning product can have dramatic consequences and there are green cleaning choices for every cleaning job.

Business owners who opt for green products are acting in their own self-interest as well as that of those around them. Using natural, biodegradable cleaning products reduces your exposure to harsh toxins and reduces the introduction of these substances into the environment.

Through the indirect effects of reducing global warming and the direct effects of being less harmful on the health of those working in the office or business where they are used, concentrated biodegradable cleaning products can also have the added upside of money savings. To talk to us about how we can help you green your business, please call 0508 467 462 or you can email us at any time.

Bring your staff on board

Why not ask staff and clients for green suggestions? Place a green suggestion box somewhere with a lot of workplace traffic and make reviewing and implementing the suggestions a regular part of the workplace routine. You’ll find many smart, money saving tips tailor made for your workplace will flow in.

Why not encourage and reward eco-friendly behaviour? Give awards, time off or coupons for energy efficient appliances. Set up fun competitions to reduce paper consumption. One company buys employees lunch the next day if they bring their lunches to work in glass containers or get takeaway coffees in their own mugs. There are loads of things you can do, just don’t form another committee.

By following our simple tips, you can save loads and make yourself more attractive to eco-conscious consumers. Whichever steps you do take, just make sure you tell clients about what you are doing on your website, in your newsletters and even on white- or blackboard signs at your business.

Delivering cleaning and office products without compromising your health or the environment

Here at Insinc Products we choose to use and promote eco-friendly and sustainable products as much as possible because we have a firm belief in doing what we can to save our environment. We use recycled boxes when sending out your orders, our invoices are sent on recycled paper or emailed.

A small office to large corporations: our clients have many different requirements. Not sure which is the right product for you? Choosing the right recycled toilet paper, serviettes and paper towels can be confusing so if you would like advice on what to use at your business or place or work, call 0508 467 462.

Our range of commercial cleaning products are made from environmentally friendly materials and designed to exceed your hygiene expectations. Many of these products have Environmental Choice NZ certification.

Buy on-line or open an account and we will deliver direct to your door anywhere in New Zealand. We offer cost effective, competitive pricing with products ranging from economical to premium brands – we are bound to have something for you.