6 habits that promote a sustainable workplace!

 

Drive sustainable and agile workplaces with six eco-friendly habits.

Over the last few decades, the awareness of individuals and businesses toward the environment has led to an increase in the commemoration of events like Earth Day, Biological Diversity Day, and many more. People from every country are engaged in discussions around sustainability, diversity, and the concept of going green. To facilitate a healthier environment, energy conservation, and pollution drop, the U.S. Environmental Agency has created a term named Green Offices, which refers to an environmentally responsible and resource-efficient structure. This shift in the business conscience has led to many questions. Are we failing to be sustainable in our offices on a daily basis? Is your organization investing and prioritizing enough in the health and well-being of the workplace? The answers may vary from company to company, but the reality is people are trying to do their bit for a better tomorrow. However, sustainability isn’t something that can be achieved overnight or done in a specific time zone; and long-term sustainability is a result of mutual collaboration.

Though it takes collective efforts, commitments, and support from everyone to stimulate a sustainable world, the business community holds unique leverage to drive that positive change. In today’s fast-growing world, profitability isn’t enough for a smooth-running business; society also expects organizations to serve as active stewards of a healthier planet. Moreover, from a commercial standpoint, consumers tend to lean towards buying products from or investing in companies with a proven record of social responsibility.

80% of consumers are more persuaded to support enterprises and brands with a history of sustainability.

The transformation to an eco-conscious organization begins from scratch and needs the involvement of your employees, stakeholders, clients, and vendors. To succeed in your sustainability mission, every person needs to believe in your vision and practice environment-friendly habits in your workplace. There are various accessible and cost-effective measures you can choose from to leverage your sustainable workplace initiative. Here are the top 6 habits that promote a sustainable workplace and can be practiced by everyone in the office.

Top 6 Habits That Promote a Sustainable Workplace

Over time, we have deployed and developed several bad habits, such as overconsumption of energy, carbon emissions, unsustainable wastewater, plastic and paper waste, and many more. While the planet hurtles toward an obscure tomorrow, we are all completely ignoring the facts and moving to an outrageous end. The U.S. accounts for over 236 million tons of municipal solid waste and 7.6 billion tons of industrial waste annually. Moreover, 50% of the waste produced by businesses is paper-based. Nevertheless, it is evident that practicing even small habits at your workplace can help reduce the damage caused to our planet. For instance, it only takes 1 ton of paper recycling to save over 26,500 liters of water, 682.5 gallons of oil, and 17 trees. Let’s dive into such habits that organizations can effortlessly and efficiently employ in their workplaces.

       Promote a paperless office

The paperless office is a concept that has been discussed over the years through numerous debates, conferences, and environmental programs. Yet, we all have continued using paper in our offices and daily lives.

In the U.S., 12.1 trillion sheets of paper are used in offices per year.

Did you know? –

      One single piece of A4 paper creation needs 10 liters of water.

      Paper production accounts for 42% of the global wood harvest.

      Every tree produces enough oxygen to help three people breathe.

The pulp and paper industry is the third-largest industrial polluter of water, air, and soil. Paper manufacturing units use chlorine-based bleaches, resulting in toxic materials being released into the air, water, and earth. In addition, when a paper decays, it emits methane gas, a gas that is 25X more toxic than CO2. These devastating numbers are enough to know the importance of paperless offices. To our surprise, offices can reduce paper waste by 50% just by reusing paper.

As businesses grow digitally, the need for emerging technologies has become imperative. One such technology is the electronic signature. Employing e-signatures in workplaces not only helps save paper costs but also reduces the waste associated with paper usage, vehicle costs, fuel costs, printer and scanner costs, and electricity costs. E-signature is an intelligent solution that can transform your organization and helps you achieve sustainability. Moreover, going paperless helps reduce your carbon footprint, eliminates human errors in the processes, and makes documentation secure and legally binding. The paperless offices:

      Increase employee productivity

      Increase sustainability and agility in workplaces

      Reduce paper waste

      Reduce carbon footprint

      Save the planet from hazardous gases and toxic material produced during paper

      production.

Establish monthly Green challenges

Going green cannot be done in your free time; it’s a matter of habit, which requires consolidated efforts from everyone. Creating monthly Green challenges for your teams will not only promote a green initiative but keep the teams engaged and focused. You can also evaluate the overall performance of employees and roll out rewards to keep them productive all the time. The monthly green challenges may include reducing waste in the workplace, eliminating paper usage, less consumption of power, ditching single-use plastic, planting trees on the office premises, and so on. Moreover, you can add a habit of using light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs as they consume 30 times less power than regular ones. Employing a suitable e-signature solution would do wonders in your green office initiative. Electronic signatures help reduce paper waste, eradicate single-use plastic such as pens and refills, and diminish the need for storage, as electronic documents can be easily stored on the cloud without any hassle. Sending documents back and forth for review and signing accounts for fuel costs, traveling costs, and carbon emissions, which can be completely stopped using of e-signatures.

       Rescind printing practices

Nowadays, printers and scanners have become an inseparable part of organizations. Businesses deal with several functions and respective teams, which produce tons of new data daily. To keep this data secure and intact for future transactions, businesses use printers and scanners in large quantities, again indirectly increasing the damage to our planet. Even if you reuse the sheets of paper, that’s 50% you could do for a sustainable workplace. Moreover, you can do it electronically; it is easier than ever to scan, store, and send/receive documents electronically. Using an e-signature solution helps secure your documents and keep the signing records without the need to actually print or scan the document. This also leads to lessened power consumption, and so a kick start to your green initiative comes to pass.

Read our blog about ‘Invest In Our Planet’ by Embracing E-signatures!

       Encourage a new commute to work

Transportation is one of the most significant contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Greenhouse gases trap heat and endorse a warmer planet.

              Transportation contributes 27% of total greenhouse gas emissions. 

The greenhouse gases emitted during transportation usually come from burning fossil fuels for trucks, ships, cars, and planes.

           90% of petroleum-based fuel, such as gasoline and diesel, is used for transportation. 

Every day, thousands of employees travel to work by their personal vehicles. Additionally, businesses use transportation for several things, such as conferences, contract signing, sending/receiving documents back and forth, documents and forms sent to onboard new employees, and many more. When you decide to take a walk or use public transportation, you contribute to curbing air pollution and global warming. As a new way of commuting to work, you can try using public transit, carpooling, and minimizing manual paperwork to diminish the need to travel.

In the United States, the effects of using public transportation save 6 billion gallons of gasoline annually.

In addition, communities investing in public transit reduce 63 million tons of the nation’s carbon emissions annually. Businesses can even embrace smart solutions such as digital signatures to minimize the need for travel for documentation.

       Promote hybrid working

The remote and hybrid work revolution has revealed several new opportunities for private organizations, government agencies, and universities. Incorporating hybrid work practices not only helps save real estate rent and utilities but also eliminates the overconsumption of power, reduces office waste, and eliminates traveling impacts. After the COVID-19 breakout, employees are increasingly looking for hybrid or remote work options.

       According to a survey, 44% of gauged employees were in favor of hybrid work culture.

Promoting a hybrid work culture will help you save on several expenses and promote the green initiative and a sustainable workplace. The fewer the number of employees, the lesser the waste, and the greener the premises would be. With the use of e-signature software, hybrid work has become more convenient. You can send, receive, sign, and store documents from anywhere, anytime, and through any device. Sealing the critical deal from your comfort zone takes only a few minutes with digital signatures. It will also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, paper waste, and single-use plastic. 

       Reuse and recycle

On a daily basis, a lot of items such as coffee cups, plastic pens, refills, Styrofoam plates, plastic storage, paper, etc., are used in the offices. To get rid of them after their use, we usually throw them in the garbage that straight goes to the landfills and waterways. Over time, these materials have produced toxic materials that harm nature and human lives, the effects of which are more than visible today. A simple practice of reusing and recycling can help curb this waste produced by offices. Try to reduce paper usage or recycle paper sheets, ditch plastic materials, bring small plants to your desks, and recycle plastic storage. This will help leverage your green initiative and promote a sustainable workplace.

It doesn’t cost much to keep the office premises clean and sustainable. Changing just a few habits and get you closer to your Green Goals. Incorporating the above practices into your work culture will help you promote sustainability. DrySign e-signature platform not only streamlines business processes but contributes to the organization’s green initiative. Start DrySigning and witness the visible results!

DISCLAIMER: The information on this site is for general information purposes only and is not intended to serve as legal advice. Laws governing the subject matter may change quickly, and Exela cannot guarantee that all the information on this site is current or correct. Should you have specific legal questions about any of the information on this site, you should consult with a licensed attorney in your area.

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