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Businesses throughout the world are becoming more and more aware of their impact on the environment. From factories to warehouses, retail facilities to offices, all types of companies are looking to reduce their carbon emissions and save money.

Even if you’re a climate change sceptic, you have to admit that saving money in your business can’t be a bad thing, right?

Reducing your business’s impact on the environment doesn’t have to involve an upheaval of your current processes, nor does it need to be so strict that everything becomes more of a hassle that its worth.

The three main areas within your organisation where you can reduce environmental waste and save money are:

1. Paper

Even in high-tech organisations, there are still paper invoices, order slips and printed marketing materials. You might think that printing and using recycled paper will cost the earth but nowadays it really doesn’t. Many stationery suppliers will have an eco-friendly paper option that is only slightly more expensive, if not the same price as the non-recycled paper.

You can also use waste paper as note paper – so when you accidentally printed 1000 copies of the wrong document, that paper needn’t go to waste.

2. Energy

By simply ensuring that computers are turned off properly at the end of the day, energy saving light bulbs are used and the kettle is unplugged at the wall, your company could greatly reduce its energy bills every month. They are all simple ways to save energy and money, and once they become habit, you won’t even notice you’re doing it.

Eco-friendly energy companies such as Ecotricity are also an option as their rates are often very similar to the other big-name energy companies.

3. Transport

Try introducing a lift-share scheme in your company. Even if only 10% of your employees can share lifts each month, it reduces their fuel usage, and your mileage expenses! Many large organisations, especially in the Public sector have a shuttle bus that picks up employees from points around the local area to reduce the number of cars brought to work each day.

If you want to go the whole way and really cut down your carbon emissions for good, you could choose to invest in a certification such as ISO 14001. ISO 14001 is an internationally recognised standard for environmental management. This certificate is available to businesses of all sizes and in all sectors. The certification process is in-depth and looks at the ways your company could reduce its impact on the environment. At the end, you will be presented with an ISO 14001 handbook that outlines how your companies conducts itself in relation to environmental management – meaning it is far easier to train new employees and keep the processes going.

ISO 14001 brings with it a range of benefits. Because it is an internationally recognised standard, its importance can easily be translated and appreciated overseas, helping you to open up avenues with new clients abroad. It also helps you to stand out from your competitors and can give you a significant edge with clients to whom the environment is also important.

Small businesses especially will benefit from implementing environmental management processes now. This is because any money that can be saved within a small business is always a benefit, and also that it is far easier to implement new processes before your company grows larger.