Environmental awareness is increasing every year, with vocal support online and in real life making actions to support it and put it in the forefront. Even the customers are clamoring for more ethical and sustainable business operations, ranging from labor practices to even cleaner energy. And businesses are responding.
Utilizing advancements in environment-friendly technologies, businesses can leverage these innovations, not just for corporate social responsibility, but to also offset major expenses associated with conventional forms of running a business. To explain further, below are some ways eco-friendly technology actually helps businesses.
Less Paper for Paperworks
Paperworks have long been integral to any business. It has become such a cultural association to tie filing cabinets to business- filing cabinets filled with reams and reams of papers. But thanks to digitization, businesses can rely less on papers. The removal of paper as a requirement reduces the need to constantly buy paper, saving up on both business expenses and reducing the need to harvest them.
Many businesses are implementing paperless strategies in their services: even indoor target shooting range systems are now using less paper, as technology allows them to not only document information digitally but also use digital projection to create different scenarios for their clients. For cafes and restaurants, papers are fast becoming obsolete, as most customers prefer an online receipt. Eventually, businesses will no longer require paper as much of the necessary information can be stored digitally.
Energy is Becoming Cleaner, Cheaper, and More Efficient
With how businesses (and the world!) are relying more and more on digital technology, the demand for energy has never been higher. While the need for energy reaches an all-time high, energy production is becoming clearer by the day. This is all thanks to the development of renewable energy. But how does this affect businesses? The effects are considerable and significant: sustainable energy means less strain on the environment, and sustainability often allows for far cheaper options.
Solar panels can now be purchased to reduce the load on grid power, which is particularly useful for businesses located in sunny areas. And solar energy isn’t just a meager “option” anymore, research in solar energy has improved to the point of achieving 45% efficiency when compared to traditional grid power. This makes it a viable option for any business looking to cut expenses and contribute to the environment.
Reduce Space and Energy Requirements to Run a Business
It’s simple logic for a business to require space. The employees need somewhere to be to accomplish work, after all. But thanks to innovations in videoconferencing technology and the advancements in online collaborative tools, even this very basic logic is being questioned. With the world basically forced to work from home for around a year or so, many businesses and establishments have begun adopting a flexible work schedule to accommodate those who find working remotely more efficient than in the office.
This reduces the need for large working space, as a significant population of the workforce won’t be required to report to the office all at once. And because of the lower space requirement, energy and utility costs will also run lower- less electricity bill for air conditioners and electronic devices. This is only possible because of the innovations in video conferencing and collaboration tools, facilitating teamwork despite being in different locations.
Recycle and Sustainable Materials are Becoming Cheaper
In the manufacturing industry, raw materials are a valuable commodity. Ultimately, they make up the necessary components to make something. But a common problem many industries run into is the frequent shortage of natural resources needed to create these components. Take, for example, plastics created from used plastic shredded into bits to create new plastics. It’s far more cheaper and convenient to source waste plastic than to use fossil fuels to create new ones, so much so that even companies such as Lego are beginning to use it in their production.
Virgin plastics are becoming ever more scarce, due to the combination of a drive against harvesting fossil fuels required to make it and also the sheer difficulty (both in expense and labor) of harvesting them. But thanks to continuous research in sustainable materials, shortages are predicted to happen far less frequently- or at least until most of the world’s manufacturers apply them in their business.
We’re still far from truly creating a system that integrates green technology into businesses. But society is slowly moving towards that goal. Perhaps in the future, businesses, both big and small are going uphold green technology to set a standard for everyone.
