How to Make Your Home Office More Eco-Friendly

In a time where a lot of people have been forced to work from home, it has been necessary to create workstations and offices at our own residences. Many employers and employees have found the solution beneficial, and we will probably see a bigger part of the workforce working from home in the future. In a world with climate changes, you can also do your part to help bring down the use of the earth’s resources while sitting on your own office chair.

How to Make Your Home Office More Eco-Friendly

1. Use software not paper

Instead of printing and archiving paper in old boxes in your attic, you should use a cloud service. A cloud service can back up all your documents and make sure that they will be kept forever.

There are several ways to use software for a more sustainable home office. Whether it’s cloud service, time management, customer contact, or it-management software that you need, there is a solution for you. However, it can be hard to find the right software. If you don’t know which program you should go for, you can get some help at https://www.saasgenius.com/.

Also Read: Tips and Tricks for Remote Workers

2. Use a laptop

Those big computers use a lot of power and today most work can be done from an efficient laptop without compromising the computer’s power output. If you already use a laptop, you can turn off the charger when it’s fully charged and use the computer’s battery. Remember to switch off your electronic devices when not in use such as your printer and your computer when going for a break.

You might want to check out if you can get a cheaper energy provider, which is one of our tips in 12 Ways Small Businesses Can Save Energy.

3. Work during the day

Nothing beats natural daylight so you should of course work during the day. Getting that vitamin D has several advantages and it will help you to get through the day without getting tired early on. Place your workspace close to a window so you can enjoy the sunbeams while working.

Unfortunately, it is not always possible to work when the sun is out, so if you need a little lamp stand make sure that the light bulb is energy-saving or even better, make use of solar lamps.

Energy-Saving Tips for Small Businesses

4. Use sustainable materials and furniture

If you are about to install a new home office, you can look at the materials that you use to furnish the room. When building yourself you should make sure that you are using sustainable materials. Reclaimed wood has a nice look to it and keeps your conscience clean.

If you are buying other materials, you can make sure that they are produced in-country, so the CO2 emission has been minimal during the transportation. If you are not a big handyman yourself, you can also buy second hand furniture. By doing that you can keep the costs down while staying eco-friendly.

5. Reduce waste

Sometimes it will be impossible not to use paper for printing, but when you do use it the right way. You can use recycled paper and printers that are not as ink-consuming. Nowadays it is possible to buy a printer with disappearing ink. This means that you can use the same piece of paper over and over again as the ink disappears over time.

During a long day’s work, it is also advisable to remember to drink water. Just remember to use a reusable drinking bottle, so we can reduce plastic waste and make the world a greener place.

Infographic Provided By Energy Pricing, a top competitor to compare energy rates 

Innovative Technologies to Help a Start-Up in Beverage Industry

For businesses trying to make a name for themselves in the beverage industry, the challenges are vast and varied. Yes, the sector can be a profitable one – it’s predicted that the global market will be worth $1.86 trillion by 2024 – but that does not mean there are any guarantees of success.

There are a wide range of difficulties facing start-ups of all kinds, and being able to make an impression within the drinks industry is certainly no different. Of course, not every enterprise will start out hoping to become the next Coca Cola, Heineken or Starbucks, but having a solid business plan and a clearly defined set of goals is likely to offer a greater chance for success.

Also Read: Step-by-Step Guide to Launch Your Small Business

Part of that planning involves identifying which tools and processes are going to help your organisation compete against its rivals. Advances are being made all the time, but which technologies might be most effective in launching a beverage business. Read on to know more:

tech-in-beverage-industry

1. Flow-through systems

Automated systems can prove invaluable in terms of streamlining the processes of sorting, packaging, labelling and distributing produce. Flow-through systems utilise robots to do the vast majority of this work, using proximity sensors in order to detect the presence of other objects and repeat the same movements. Operating in this way can help to reduce the risk of human error while simultaneously lowering running costs and increasing productivity and efficiency.

2. Industrial Internet of Things

This is where devices in an industrial setting are connected on a network in order to communicate with one another. The IIoT can enable machines involved in the manufacturing process to log data and identify any faults in the production line, which means each drink is turned out to a greater level of consistency.

3. Voice technology

Another development that is assisting beverage businesses – and those in other industries – is the emergence of voice technology. Warehouse operators can now harness this concept to issue voice commands that will be picked up by the relevant pieces of machinery, which subsequently carry out the action. This means tasks can be completed in a safer, more time-efficient manner, while it also makes training of new employees easier in that there are fewer manual skills for them to learn.

4. NFC tags

Moving away from the manufacturing side of the business, near field communication (NFC) tags can help to improve the customer experience once the product has been put to market. NFC technology is what’s used in contactless payment devices, and the concept has been adapted by the beverage industry in order to add another dimension to the product that consumers purchase.

They can be added to the label or packaging and scanned with a smartphone to unlock a range of additional information about the drink.

5. Cloud service

For businesses in any field, the challenge of data storage is one that can be difficult to overcome. Giants of the industry will have the available resources to own and run their own infrastructures, but others may not be in a position to do so or may wish to focus their spending in different areas.

As a solution, there are cloud service providers who offer products such as Virtual Desktop or Azure Virtual Desktop with rented access to certain software at a lower cost, which frees up funds for beverage companies to commit more capital towards the likes of R&D, production and marketing.