5 Tips for Eco-Friendly Office Supplies and Company Culture

Sustainability is a buzzword, which is quickly becoming a best practice used in several industries.

Companies are leaning toward ways to incorporate more environmentally-conscious processes, as well as eco-friendly promotional items and eco-friendly office supplies. According to a 2017 global case study, 63% of Americans are hopeful businesses will take the lead to drive environmental change moving forward.

Setting up your office for eco-friendly success doesn’t have to mean a complete overhaul from what you’re currently doing, but rather the implementation of small changes that will have a greater impact over time.

Eco-Friendly Office Tips

Ready to help your team and customers limit their carbon footprint? Here are 5 easy ways to get started and go green today.

1. Create Opportunities

This broad categorization can be broken down into smaller steps based on your company’s available resources and dedication to a greener initiative. For starters, supply personal recycling bins or a few central larger bins that are meant solely for recyclable waste in your working space. Reach out to your building manager to ensure you have the right supplies necessary to carry out these initiatives as easily as possible.

Also, simply shutting off lights not in use can cut down on energy waste. Reorganize your space to maximize daylight and help make artificial light less in demand. This helps reduce electricity costs, but can also help improve productivity and health in the workplace.

2. Pack a Lunch

Lunch bags aren’t typically considered an office supply, but by providing each employee a customized reusable lunch bag, you may cut down on considerable waste. It encourages others to bring reusable containers and silverware from home rather than relying on plastic utensils and dishes meant for one-time use.

Tip: Reusable shopping bags and reusable straws are also unique promotional gifts that can help set your company apart from all the custom notepads, bags and pens handed out at trade show events or open houses this year.

3. Provide Education

Make eco-friendly behavior part of your company’s overall messaging. Whether you include tips about conservation in your internal newsletter or include best practices for green living in your email campaigns to clients, there’s always room to share best practices for how to help protect the environment.

Take it a step further, and let others know you’re going digital with documents to prevent waste. Brochures, newsletters, and other marketing materials can all be created online and still have a meaningful impact on your audience.

4. Say No to Plastic Bags

Reusable bags aren’t reserved only for farmers markets anymore. In fact, many cities are encouraging the use of them for grocery shopping or other smaller day-to-day errands. Based on numbers from the Wall Street Journal, Americans use and dispose of 100 billion plastic shopping bags every year.

While this number has hopefully declined in recent years as sustainability has increased, the stats are still alarming enough for every business to consider using reusable bags for their business.

As one of the most eco-friendly office supplies, reusable shopping bags help the environment, while also providing a big boost to brands through customization.

5. Take Inventory

Employ your office manager or marketing coordinator to take regular inventory of the office supplies you already have. Too often, in preparation for events or meetings, companies will order additional supplies rather than checking on current surplus.A regular habit of tracking inventory will give you a more accurate tally of what’s needed, which helps save on waste and company costs.

Planning for the Future

Companies and consumers are becoming more mindful about the way they treat the planet and understand that many actionable items take little effort at all. As you make plans for an eco-friendly future, start small by swapping out certain office supplies for those made of recycled materials or items that promote sustainable living.

Encourage conservation of utilities whenever possible. And, make sure you’re also providing earth-conscious options for customers who wish to buy from companies that care about the environment.