How To Run An Eco-Friendly Business From Your Home

When running a business from your home, you may not feel the same level of environmental responsibility as larger companies or corporations. After all, your impact is relatively small in comparison.

That doesn’t mean, however, that eco-friendly policies are unimportant. We all have a part to play when it comes to protecting the planet for future generations - and it is always better to be part of the solution as opposed to the problem.

Not only that, but consumers are becoming increasingly disinterested in supporting brands that do not put sustainability at the core of what they do. They are also willing to spend more and remain loyal to brands that make an effort in this regard. This means that working to be a little greener when running your home-based business could elevate your success and reputation, making it far easier to win over customers.

As such, this should definitely be considered one of your priorities moving forward, especially if you want your business to remain operational for years to come. With that in mind, here’s how you can run an eco-friendly business from your own home!

Choose eco-friendly packaging. Choosing sustainable packaging for your products is one of the easiest ways to make your business a little greener. For example, you could switch from single-use plastic bags or containers to ones made from paper, cardboard or other readily-recyclable items. This is also a great way to change a customer’s perception of your brand for the better, as 8 out of 10 consumers prefer to shop with brands that use sustainable packaging. 

Make sure you dispose of waste correctly. While you may be making a conscious effort to produce as little waste as possible in the day-to-day running of your business, you still need to ensure that you dispose of it correctly. For the most part, this means that you will need to arrange for business waste to be collected by a registered company (as opposed to lumping it with your household waste).

However, in order to determine the best course of action, you need to ensure that you understand the ins and outs of business waste disposal. One way in which you can achieve this goal is by using this waste industry glossary to get to grips with key terms and strategies. 

Rely on renewable energy. Whether you’re making products within your home or working from a desk, renewable energy sources or suppliers are the way to go. After all, this helps to support your conservation efforts while also being a great way to save money in the long run. This is because it helps you ensure that you are as energy-efficient as possible. 

There are many different ways in which you could achieve this goal, from switching to a supplier with strong environmental policies in place to installing solar panels on your roof. While the latter is particularly expensive, this is something that you will find pays for itself in the long run. 

Lower your electricity use. Lowering your electricity use can also come in handy when working to run a ‘greener’ company. Fortunately, there are many ways in which you can achieve this goal, too.

For example, you should try to use natural light as much as you can. This way, you’re not having the lights turned on continuously throughout the day. In addition to this, you should get into the habit of turning off and unplugging electronics when they are no longer in use, as opposed to leaving them on standby. While this may not seem all that significant, over time, this can help to lower your electricity usage quite considerably. 

Work with eco-friendly couriers. There are a few different factors that you need to take into consideration when choosing a courier for your business. For example, you’ll always want to ensure that customers’ orders are delivered safely and within a pre-agreed time frame, especially if they paid extra money for next-day delivery. However, you should also be sure to put the courier's ecofriendly polices under the microscope.

For example, you should also be aware of the measures they are taking to reduce their own carbon footprint, such as by switching to electric vehicles. This way, you can ensure that you are partnering with a company whose values align with your own, making you more inclined to do business with them in the future.

On a similar note, you may want to encourage customers to rely on local pick-up spaces as opposed to getting products delivered to their door. This means fewer drop-offs on behalf of the courier. One way in which you could incentivise this is by covering the cost or heavily subsidising this method of shipment. 

Work with eco-friendly suppliers. On a similar note, you should also make sure that you are working with eco-friendly suppliers and manufacturers when making your products. For example, you should know exactly where all of your materials come from, and the methods that were used to produce/bring them to your door.

It can sometimes be impossible to find suppliers you want to work with. They need to believe in your ethics while also not costing you the earth. Do your research and check for specific items that you need, a float switch for instance.

Go paperless. Going paperless is a great way to improve your sustainability efforts, especially as there’s little need for print-outs in modern society. In addition to this, it could help you to save a great deal of money along the way. For example, instead of giving new employees a printed handbook during the onboarding process, this is something that can easily be digitised. This also makes it easier to welcome them into your team, as they can access this from their own home (where they will be working from).

Regularly assess your current practices. In order to continue doing your best when it comes to protecting the environment, you should make sure that you regularly assess your sustainability efforts and protocols. This is because they may become dated or ineffective over time, meaning that additional change is necessary. 

Recycle, recycle, recycle. Recycling, both within your work and day-to-day life, is one of the most effective ways to make your business as sustainable as possible. This is because it will help you to reduce the amount of waste that you send to the landfill each year, while also giving these surplus materials a new life.

You should, however, make sure that you are always putting recyclables into the right bins or containers. While this may seem fairly obvious, you’d be surprised at how many people make this kind of mistake when attempting to recycle. Not only that, but this kind of error often means that the entire container is contaminated, meaning that it is not properly processed or recycled.

If you are producing recyclable waste that is not typically picked up by local waste disposal companies, you should find nearby recycling centres that you can take these items to instead.

Final thoughts. Running a business from your home does not mean that you are absolved of environmental responsibilities and duties, especially when there are so many different ways to make your business more sustainable.

For example, you can make sure that you’re running a green business by disposing of waste correctly, recycling as much as possible, and going paperless (to name a few). The information outlined above is a great starting point for the sustainable business owner, helping you to introduce lasting changes that will benefit both your business and the planet. 

Of course, you also need to make sure that you are taking action as much as possible moving forward. Otherwise, it may seem to your customers as though you are participating in harmful greenwashing practices.