Consider These Actions to Reduce Your Business's Environmental Footprint

You can hardly turn around today without another company announcing its plans or progress on sustainability. Yet, many companies have not even considered any formal sustainability practices for their operations. Cost, lack of know-how, and an uncertain political climate all contribute to the hesitancy some businesses feel to take the plunge into greener business.

Nevertheless, reducing your organizational environmental footprint can save the business money while increasing brand reputation and competitiveness. Better still, companies can start down the path of decreasing impacts on the environment without the commitment of a formal sustainability program.

So, what steps can a business take now to move toward better environmental stewardship? Keep reading to uncover four simple actions businesses may implement to start transitioning to a greener tomorrow.

Track and Reduce Natural Resource Consumption

Conservation serves as the bedrock of sustainability. When we consume less, less waste and pollution enter the environment. Also, the moral argument exists that overconsumption of resources unfairly strips future generations of the abundance we take for granted.

Therefore, any business serious about reducing its environmental footprint will objectively evaluate the natural resources utilized in its activities. Water, land, raw materials, electricity, and fuel should all be part of the assessment. For a complete picture, upstream (suppliers) and downstream (customers) impacts will also be reviewed.

Once an organization has accurate figures for its natural resource consumption, it can make informed choices on where to reduce it. Reduction efforts may involve improving operating efficiency, switching to more energy-efficient equipment and vehicles, procuring raw materials with lower environmental impacts, and encouraging better conservation within the workforce.

So, where could you start today? Gather together data concerning resource consumption over the last twelve months. Most of these records should be available as part of your operational or accounting records. Then, chart resource utilization over time to determine an annual total and a monthly average.

Armed with this information, the company can set a monthly maximum (cannot exceed this number) and monthly targets (the consumption rate you desire), which will feed an annual reduction percentage. By setting smaller monthly goals, the company allows operations to reach the yearly target over time without overly burdening employees, equipment, or vendors.

Avoid Environmental Blunders that Increase Pollution

Pollution increases work against the goal of reducing an environmental footprint. So, it makes perfect sense to limit any mistakes that may cause more contamination to enter the environment. Companies can review their environmental compliance program for possible blunders and make changes without formal investments in sustainability programs.

Failing to obtain and adhere to permits, implementing corrective actions poorly, and neglecting equipment maintenance can lead a facility to emit or discharge more pollution than is allowed. This situation can threaten the environment and public health.

Thus, organizations must stay focused on complying with regulatory requirements. Doing so will decrease your environmental footprint and the financial risk to the business.

Consequently, facilities should make sure they apply for permits as necessary. Once permits are issued, sites should work diligently to meet their permit limitations. If and when problems arise, implement a systematic method to ensure conditions are corrected promptly. Furthermore, businesses should develop and execute a robust maintenance program to keep all equipment functioning optimally.

Recycle and Integrate Recycled Materials in Your Process

Another way to reduce your company's environmental footprint involves taking advantage of recycling. Recycling the process's waste and byproducts prevents other resources from being spent on disposal and treatment activities. When recycled products are introduced as inputs to the process, fewer resources get spent than manufacturing, mining, or otherwise procuring brand new materials.

The recycling piece can aid the company in lowering the life cycle environmental impacts of its upstream, primary, and downstream operations. It can cost the business less money, as disposal, treatment, and procurement cost may decrease. In addition, it could create an additional revenue stream if the organization can find buyers to utilize its wastes and byproducts.

To get started today, companies should begin instituting a recycling program for paper, glass, aluminum, cardboard, etc. Many municipalities across the U.S. already accept these items for recycling. But entities may need to contact the vendor picking up their Class D (non-hazardous) solid waste to verify if recycling is available for the area.

For other materials, organizations should proactively search for opportunities to procure recycled products, reuse wastes/byproducts on-site, and sell wastes/byproducts to other entities who can put these items to beneficial use. With small but organized efforts, the operation may be able to fully transition to a zero-waste process, leading to a reduced environmental footprint.

Procure for a Greener Future

Employing vehicles and equipment with improved energy-efficiently also assists in reducing a company's impacts on the environment. Less natural resource consumption equals decreased pollution.

However, market pressure does play a role in any organization's procurement approach. After all, the company has to stay profitable to continue to play. Therefore, businesses should view greener procurement as a long-term strategy to decrease the size of an environmental footprint.

Organizations can start now to define and implement a purchasing strategy to transform their vehicle fleets and equipment over time. When a new truck is needed, give preference to ones with greater fuel efficiency or that run on alternative fuels. The next time bulbs are purchased, spring for LEDs (light-emitting diodes) over fluorescent lights.

Executing a green purchase strategy one transaction at a time lessens the sticker shock while incrementally moving the organization to a smaller environmental footprint. As the company reaps financial gains from the smaller investments, it can reinvest those savings to continue procuring for a greener future.

Parting Thoughts

Sustainability, like most things in business, cannot be one-size-fits-all. Organizations need the flexibility to determine what works best to suit their current needs and goals. However, companies can't simply ignore environmental impacts just because formal sustainability programs are still in their infancy.

Instead, those entities opting to delay an official declaration of sustainable initiatives should work toward reducing their environmental footprint. Acting to lessen environmental impacts today can save natural resources, decrease pollution, broaden the use of recycled materials, and ensure greener equipment and vehicles for the future.

K-M. Denyse Jones, REM, CESM is a seasoned EHS professional who has worked across various industries throughout her career and is the Owner & Principal Consultant for Prorsa Consulting. Twitter - https://twitter.com/ProrsaConsultng