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 

Best Ways To Reduce Waste

We deal with waste every day and its becoming problematic. It is our responsibility to become aware of our own personal impact to the environment. Even if we hire a good rubbish clearance company to remove our waste, still is our duty to think about the consequences and to try following some good methods and produce less waste.

top ways to reduce waste

1. Reuse clothes for cleaning clothes

Some of our old clothes can be usable. So instead of throwing them away, you can reuse them as cleaning rags to wipe up messes and clean surfaces. You can use them all the time, after cleaning, toss them in the laundry and they can be used again.

2. Try buying unpacked food

Fresh fruits and veggies are normally obtainable unpacked in the produce section, and you can also buy package-free products in grocery stores. You can also bring your own reusable bags or containers, to purchase and avoid plastic bags. Most food these days is wrapped in plastic.

sustainability-food-supply-chain

Plastic bags need to be a thing of the past, so instead of using keep in mind to bring your own bag. Cotton bags are perfect for loose fruit and veggies. Don’t be nervous to say no to single use plastic. Click here for some simple ways to avoid plastic.

3. Shop local

Local markets habitually use a lot less plastic to cover their foods. So try planning your daily shop to visit the local farmer’s market before heading to the supermarket. It’s a great way to reduce waste, as well as experience a sense of community from shopping locally.

4. Avoid single-use items

Try avoiding items single-use items. Instead replace them with reusable, or multi-purpose options, simply by saying no.

5. No straws

Avoid that extra plastic and try saying no to straws when you drink. When ordering a drink, respectfully ask for no straw. Adults, don’t really need to drink their drinks through straws. One-use straws suck. Try teaching your kids to drink without a straw. And If you don’t want to give up straws totally, you can try and use a reusable straw instead.

reusable-straw

Many manufacturers are replacing plastic drinking straws with titanium.

6. Recycle

There are numerous people out there still not recycling. Make sure you’re recycling everything at home, as well as taking that extra effort to make sure items that aren’t collected from your home are taken to recycle at your local dump.

Recycling keeps things out of the landfill with the purpose to transform used materials into new products that can be used again. Recycling right means keeping material out of the landfill, and also decreasing uncleanness in the recycling stream.

7. Stop buying unnecessary items

How to reduce waste? Simply stop buying that much stuff. When you buy new things, you don’t do anything but increase the amount of waste. Just try to buy what you need, and also appreciate what you already have.

8. Repair your old items

Before you buy something new to replace that item that has cracked, see if you can fix it. Do whatever you can do to repair it, and don’t get sucked into this throwaway culture.

Use Circular Manufacturing to Save Energy and Reduce Waste

The industrial sector is the third biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the world, accounting for over 20% of total emissions (including carbon dioxide and methane), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reveals. Manufacturing plants (as part of the industrial sector) typically involve significant pollution and energy and resource use. By implementing sustainable methods designed to green the manufacturing process, manufacturing plants can improve their environmental footprint, lower costs, and boost efficiency.

environmental benefits of circular manufacturing

Embrace circular manufacturing

Circular manufacturing (also known as lean manufacturing) is a sustainable model that extends the life and use of materials and goods to minimize waste and energy and resource usage. In particular, circular manufacturing may include: converting to a renewable power source; adopting predictive maintenance to extend the condition and longevity of equipment; and sharing equipment with other plants.

Additionally, curricular manufacturing typically involves recovering and reusing resources or waste materials generated from other plants rather than purchasing new raw materials. Just look at Kalundborg Symbiosis as a solid example of circular manufacturing: they’re a collective of nine Danish manufacturing companies who’ve been sharing material, water, and energy streams since 1961. Together they lower their carbon emissions by 635,000 tons and save 24 million EUR every year.

Partner with eco-friendly businesses

Your manufacturing plant likely partners with other businesses whether it’s to source raw parts, equipment, and materials or purchase packaging. By partnering with green businesses, you can in turn ensure your business stays as eco-friendly as possible. For example, switch to an energy supplier committed to green energy or a packaging supplier that uses recycled materials.

packaging waste

Packaging that adorns your product can have serious environmental impact.

Additionally, more and more manufacturers are entering the online selling space and partnering with ecommerce companies. In 2020, for example, 30% of manufacturing and 30% of distribution companies generated 60%-80% of their total profits from B2B ecommerce. By using a quick and efficient method of ecommerce fulfillment, manufacturing businesses can ensure they’re harnessing automation and technology to maximum advantage.

Update machinery and equipment

Old machinery and equipment typically have higher energy demands than necessary. By replacing or updating your old machinery and equipment, you can reduce energy waste and increase efficiency and productivity. Installing an electric power management system (EPMS) will also let you clearly see your plant’s electricity distribution and capacity and better control your energy and power costs. Moreover, if it’s within your budget, you can also consider investing in automation in your plant to improve energy-efficiency and reduce waste.

robotics in sustainable manufacturing

For example, “cobots” (aka collaborative robots) are designed to work alongside human employees. By taking care of dangerous or repetitive tasks, cobots can improve safety for workers (the manufacturing industry typically racks up 400,000 non-fatal injuries every year) while increasing productivity and minimizing risk of human error.

Bottom Line

Implementing sustainable changes to your manufacturing plant will pay off greatly in the long run. By embracing circular manufacturing, partnering with eco-friendly businesses, and upgrading machinery and equipment, you can lower your carbon footprint, cut costs, and improve efficiency.