People spend about a third of their lives working, so creating a sustainable and eco-friendly workplace is essential to combating the current climate crisis. Research also shows that nearly 80% of today’s consumers, especially Gen Z and Millennials, tend to support brands that care about the environment. So what does an eco-friendly office look like, is it important, and how can you create one? This article will answer that for you!
What is an environmentally friendly office?
An eco-friendly office refers to the design and construction of workspaces that have the least possible negative impact on the environment and conserve resources such as energy and water. The efficient use of resources by choosing sustainable materials, recycling old furniture, and integrating natural lighting and ventilation are all efforts that an eco-friendly office aims for.
Some large, famous companies around the world have also had specific plans and taken action for a greener and more sustainable environment, typically:
- IKEA: 99.5% of the wood used for IKEA products is certified as recycled by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The company also plans to commit to using recycled materials and renewable energy, as well as eliminating waste in its operations and promoting biodiversity by supporting the ecosystems it draws from.
- Unilever: The company is currently planning to choose the environmentally friendly ingredients it uses in its products. Part of Unilever’s initiative involves achieving net zero emissions for all its products by 2039. The company is also actively fighting deforestation and has set a goal of having a deforestation-free supply chain by 2023.
- Intel: Intel invests in water recovery products and green energy sources for its infrastructure, reducing landfill waste to just 5% across the company and aiming for zero landfill waste by 2030. In its efforts to make the world greener, Intel is also working to reduce its carbon footprint by at least 10% over the next few years.
Why should businesses set up environmentally friendly offices?
Being an eco-friendly workplace not only benefits the environment but also the business’s consumers and employees. Here are some of the key benefits of having an eco-friendly office:
1. Promote brand image
An environmentally friendly office corner.
Becoming an environmentally friendly office contributes greatly to promoting a positive brand image in relationships with partners, investors, customers as well as employees - who favor sustainable activities for the environment. When the brand image is spread well, it will bring trust in terms of value, revenue will increase accordingly and gain a competitive advantage over other competitors.
Additionally, customers who value being environmentally friendly are often loyal to brands that share their values. These are customers who truly connect with your brand and want to share something more than just a purchase. Not only will they appreciate your environmentally friendly practices and return to buy from you, but they will also bring new customers through their circle of friends.
2. Reduce operating costs
By using locally sourced, environmentally friendly resources and utilizing renewable energy, you cut down on shipping and packaging costs as well as saving on waste disposal costs through recycling. In addition, they also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which can have a negative impact on the environment.
For example, your company could reduce its energy consumption by installing solar panels or wind turbines. These could help reduce overall costs, and you could even sell excess electricity back to the grid. While these processes may be more expensive to implement, they will definitely be more valuable in the long run.
3. Increase productivity and employee satisfaction
Increase productivity and employee satisfaction.
Adequate natural light, good ventilation and greenery are some of the features of an eco-friendly office. Such a workplace will improve the morale, awareness and well-being of employees, making them happier and more relaxed, leading to a significant increase in creativity and productivity.
In addition, thanks to green spaces with superior air quality and light, employee health has been significantly improved. This is a great opportunity to reduce absenteeism by reducing illness cases or reducing employee stress levels.
4. Contribute to protecting the "green planet"
The Earth is our only home at the moment. In recent years, everyone can easily feel the negative changes in the climate due to years of negligence. Now, through environmentally friendly activities, businesses can help reduce carbon emissions, greenhouse gas emissions - the agents of climate change as well as help conserve natural resources, such as water and energy, contributing greatly to protecting our "common home".
Eco-friendly office setup ideas
1. Ideas for implementation at the organizational level
1.1. Implement the 5R method
5R method in waste management
You can save resources in your office by applying the following 5R method in waste management:
- Refuse: Stop buying or accepting environmentally unfriendly items such as plastic bags, plastic cups, plastic straws, etc.
- Reduce: Buy in bulk to reduce packaging.
- Reuse: Choose reusable containers and packaging.
- Recycle: Recycle by collecting cardboard, mixed paper products, mixed materials (plastic, aluminum, glass) and organics and taking them to a plant for recycling.
- Repurpose: For items that you can't refuse, reduce, or reuse, try repurposing them. Cardboard boxes for storage, paper clips for cords, and glass jars, coffee mugs, and tin cans for pens, etc.
From the pantry to the workstations, your company can use clear signage (and a few cute stickers) to guide people to what can and cannot be recycled. Consider safely disposing of old computer parts and other items and donating them to a local organization that supports electronics recycling, which is also a good thing for the environment.
1.2. Collaborate with eco-friendly brands
Choosing to do business with eco-friendly companies to create a more environmentally conscious workplace is a great idea for your company to implement. You can start by researching the suppliers you are interested in to learn more about their sustainability efforts and see if they align with your company’s vision and values regarding environmental impact.
1.3. Encourage collaborative working
Companies can implement hybrid working by allowing employees to choose which days of the week they work remotely. This flexibility not only reduces employee commuting time and environmental impact, but also gives employees the initiative, reduces stress, and gives them time to recharge and innovate.
1.4. Instruct and reward employees for environmental actions
EY Vietnam organizes "Run for the better" race for the environment
Efforts to promote, educate, reward and make it part of the company culture are important factors in helping individuals within the organization understand, engage and act towards the common goal of protecting the environment. These may include:
- Organize activities to guide employees on the above 5R method, effective use of documents and how to prevent energy consumption from office items.
- Encourage people to carpool, bike or walk to work
- Partner with local transportation providers to offer discounted bus passes to encourage your employees to use public transportation more often
- Organize activities such as 5km runs to support environmental groups, clubs or volunteer organizations
- Consider awards or team lunches to reward those who make consistent efforts toward sustainable practices
2. Ideas for implementation at the group level
2.1. Reduce energy consumption
There are items that slowly drain energy even when they are not in use, such as computers, printers, and photocopiers. Everyone in the office needs to be aware and proactive in turning them off completely when not in use. Additionally, you can choose to purchase a smart power outlet with a programmable timer that signals the outlet to turn off every day when the office is closed to help make your office more environmentally friendly.
In addition, taking advantage of natural light, considering solar energy, integrating light sensor technology , switching to compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) and LEDs, or turning off cooling and heating systems when not in use are all options that help save operating costs as well as optimize the environment.
2.2. Reduce paper use and print documents when not necessary
Do you use paper towels to dry your hands after using the bathroom and cleaning up messes in the kitchen? An air dryer might be a more efficient way to dry your hands! In the kitchen, you can switch to eco-friendly paper towels made from bamboo and sugar cane, for example.
Paper production is harmful to the environment in many ways. It takes 90,000 liters of trees and water to produce 1 ton of virgin bleached paper. The paper industry pollutes waterways and the air because it uses fossil fuels. To protect the environment, you and your team should prioritize technology and software for reporting and recordkeeping, and use less paper to reduce the need for other materials such as ink, printers, and waste collection.
2.3. Decorate with more green plants
Decorate your office with more plants
Plants, in addition to being used as a decorative accessory for the office space, are also very useful in reducing stress and anxiety for your employees by increasing oxygen levels and removing harmful pollutants such as carbon dioxide and formaldehyde. Besides, studies have also shown that nearly 10% of sick days can be due to the lack of natural elements in the office and having plants in the workplace can increase productivity by up to 15%.
Some suitable plants that you can refer to for the office environment include spider plants, peace lilies, ivy, bamboo palms and philodendrons. All of them require little care and have air purifying properties. Edible herbs and succulents are also a great choice for your office.
2.4. Consider environmentally friendly means of transport
Use public transport, carpool with colleagues, ride a bike or walk to reduce the amount of cars on the road, preventing carbon dioxide emissions that pollute the air. In addition, if your company supports hybrid working, choosing to work from home is already your contribution to protecting this green planet.
2.5. Take advantage of reusable items
Many offices today use disposable plastic cups for convenience, which is a huge environmental hazard. You can help curb this wasteful habit by encouraging individuals to use reusable cups. It’s also a good idea to replace individual sugar packets with a large, refillable sugar container.
Setting up an eco-friendly office may seem challenging but it is worth the attention of companies and individuals, especially in this 21st century. Each of us can protect this beautiful Earth with just a few small changes - easy to implement and maintain. Epione hopes that a “seed” of environmental awareness has been planted in each of you who read this article!
