As the world moves toward a greener, more sustainable future, hopefully you and your business are coming along for the ride. If not, sadly you might find your company gets left behind!

Assuming you’re keen to reduce your company’s environmental impact, one way you can achieve this goal is by educating your staff on the importance of protecting the planet. 

By increasing your sustainability, not only does it align with the global shift towards eco-consciousness, but it also offers a variety of benefits, from cost-savings to a healthier planet. 

To help you drive home the message to your staff and ensure your business is kinder to the planet, here’s how you can teach your employees to take sustainability more seriously.

The Benefits

By moving towards a more sustainable future, as well as helping the planet by reducing your ecological footprint, implementing sustainability practices within your workplace yields a host of benefits. 

First and foremost, as a result of reduced waste and lower energy consumption, you’ll benefit from cost savings. After all, sustainability isn’t just about saving the planet – it's about saving money, too!

Moreover, with customers and clients increasingly keen to buy from environmentally responsible brands, these days eco-friendliness is now becoming a selling point. So by demonstrating your commitment to green initiatives, you can gain a competitive advantage and potentially attract more clients and customers. 

Lastly, by leading the way in sustainability, you can help foster an environmental awareness among your staff who will hopefully be enthused to take positive steps in their own lives.

Embrace The Sustainability Mindset

Before you encourage your staff to follow specific practices, it's always a good idea to try to instil a sustainability mindset. By encouraging them to see the bigger picture and understand the environmental impact of their actions, this helps them become more receptive to change.

Reduce, Reuse & Recycle

The three 'R's form the backbone of sustainability. By teaching your staff to reduce waste, reuse materials and recycle whenever possible, your business can significantly reduce its environmental footprint and you can make giant strides towards sustainability.

Energy Efficiency Matters

One significant way to become more sustainable is by reducing energy consumption. Crucially, this is also a way to significantly cut outgoings, making it doubly important!

Speak to your staff about the importance of turning off lights, computers and other equipment when they’re not in use. 

You should also consider investing in energy-efficient appliances and lighting to cut down on energy costs. Although this will come with an initial cost, in the long run you’ll recuperate those with the money saved on energy bills.

Packaging Wisdom

If you work in the eCommerce sector, adopting greener packaging solutions is an effective way to significantly reduce your environmental footprint.

Start by training your staff to use packaging sparingly and consider implementing the concept of 'right-sizing', where you use packaging that perfectly fits the product. This reduces waste and cuts shipping costs. 

Consider reducing any unnecessary plastic from your packaging and replace it with sustainable alternatives such as biodegradable protective materials and cardboard boxes for packing.  

This not only demonstrates your commitment to sustainability but also translates to significant cost savings which is always a welcome bonus!

Commuting Alternatives

Most companies overlook this one, but another way your company can become greener is if your staff commute to work. By encouraging them to take public transport or cycle they can significantly reduce their carbon footprint. 

You could also provide incentives for those who choose eco-friendly commuting alternatives such as signing up for the Cycle to Work scheme.

Educate And Engage

If you want to make your sustainability message stick then it's essential to educate and engage your staff continually. Regular workshops, seminars and open discussions on sustainability can help keep the topic fresh. 

Waste Reduction

Cutting back on waste by minimising paper usage, reducing single-use plastics or finding creative ways to repurpose materials is another way you and your staff can become more eco-friendly. 

Try setting targets for reducing waste within the workplace and offer incentives for those who meet these goals.

Water-Saving

Water is one thing many of us take for granted, but with record temperatures arriving on a yearly basis, the conservation of this precious resource is something we should all be taking more seriously. This is particularly true if your business uses a water meter.

Teach your staff the importance of using water sparingly and consider displaying water-saving tips in common areas to remind everyone.

Green Initiatives

If you want to take things a step further then you could consider engaging your staff in green initiatives and philanthropic activities related to sustainability. This could include participating in tree-planting events, supporting environmental charities or volunteering for clean-up efforts. 

Although this might not be for everyone, by involving your employees in these activities, you not only contribute to a healthier planet but also foster a sense of purpose and community within your workplace which can benefit your company in a multitude of ways.

Lead By Example

Without a doubt, the most effective way to encourage someone to do something is to practice what you preach. Otherwise, you can start to look like a bit of a hypocrite and your message gets diluted or even lost completely!

So set a good example by following all of the aforementioned tips yourself. By leading the way you can demonstrate your commitment and prove that sustainability is more than just a trendy buzz word.

Likewise, considering the origin of the materials and products used in your business. Opt for suppliers who prioritise sustainable sourcing, whether it's paper products, raw materials or equipment.

So those are the main ways you can encourage your staff to become more sustainable. Ultimately, by encouraging your staff to take a greener, cleaner approach, you can reduce the ecological impact of you and your employees, spreading a positive message which will hopefully have a domino effect and encourage others to follow suit.