3 Ways You Can Be Eco-Friendlier as an Entrepreneur

Recently there’s been an uptake in being “green” and selling “vegan,” “sustainable,” “organic,” and “made locally.” What is up with all of that? What are these businesses actually doing or trying to do?

An eco-friendly or green business is one that demonstrates a commitment to an environmentally sustainable future. Green businesses strive to have a positive impact on the environment and their community.

Being green may be the latest trend, but climate change is a problem that’s not going away any time soon.

And maybe you’re not an eco-friendly or green business. But I’m here to tell you that it is perfectly OKAY. There’s absolutely no shame in this and no reason to be embarrassed or to feel guilty.

Here’s 3 easy ways you can be eco-friendlier in your business right now.

1.     Digitize everything!

Many things have changed since the start of the pandemic from working from home to attending free virtual events. Many things have gone digital and it should be no different when it comes to your business documents. From contracts with electronic signatures, client proposals, invoices and request for proposals. Not only is it easy to send to clients but it also reduces the amount of physical waste that your business creates!

2.     Can you text or phone rather than video? 

All activities whether personal or business affects your energy consumption and in turn your carbon footprint. (A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact your activities have on the amount of carbon dioxide is produced through the burning of fossil fuels).

So even though we’re not physically driving or taking public transit to attend meetings, we’re still using up energy. The same way that sending a text message or having a phone call drains less of your phone battery than a video chat, the same applies when it comes to overall energy consumption and its effects on the environment. In fact, according to Charlotte Freitag (a carbon footprint expert) in this BBC article, the carbon footprint of making a one-minute phone call is a little higher than sending a text. But making video calls over the internet is much higher.

When possible, if you can share information via text or a phone call rather than video – DO IT!

3.     Are you sourcing things locally?

I’ve spoken about this a few times and the importance of buying locally – not only is it better for supporting the local community and economy, but it also means a smaller carbon footprint (hello less carbon emissions!).

Whether or not you’re a product-based business, we all need small items like pens, paper and sanitization wipes to run our businesses from day-to-day. Where possible, purchase items like stationary, sanitization wipes, packaging or stuffing that is made locally. Locally made is ideally within 100km or 60mi of where you live, however if it’s made within the country that’s okay too! Again, reducing the amount of shipping distance means the lower the impact.

Just remember that you don’t have to do anything and everything all at once. As you run out of your current stock of items and making the swap then, will make all the difference.

You don’t have to be an eco-friendly business to be doing your part. As an entrepreneur, you can make the decision to implement these 3 simple steps and still have significantly positive impact on our planet.

1. Digitize everything

2. Text or phone before video calling

3. Buying locally

And if you’re interested in learning how you can begin transitioning into becoming a greener entrepreneur, you can learn more about how we can work together by checking out the Eco-Standards package!