How Going Green Can Save Your Startup a Lot of Cash in 2021

Going green is one of the best things a business can do. Not only does taking a more eco-friendly approach to running your venture benefit the planet, it’s great for your budget too. It’s also a great way to improve your brand reputation. 

Show the world that you care about the planet, and consumers will be more likely to develop an affinity with you. 

As the world continues to suffer from greenhouse gasses, the reduction of finite resources, and countless other side effects of climate change, everyone needs to do their part. Even implementing a few cost-effective strategies can make a difference and be a great start.

Here are just some of the ways that an eco-friendly strategy can lead to financial benefits for your company in the long and short-term. 

#1 Buy Used Items to Save Cash on Initial Investments

Going green will help you avoid spending a fortune on furniture and other common expenses for your business. 

If you’re planning on running a small office, or even buying equipment so you can work from home, you might be tempted to choose the most impressive new pieces. However, used furniture works just as well most of the time and costs a fraction of the price. 

By choosing second-hand furniture, you avoid wasting money, as well as the Earth’s resources. 

Make an effort to check out opportunities like liquidation sales, and you might prevent some beautiful old pieces from ending up in a landfill. 

The more you can reduce the costs of furniture and simple items that don’t have to be state of the art for you to use them in your business processes, the more cash you’ll have left for the things that really matter, like production tech and marketing. 

If you’re going to be taking professional meetings and hiring top-of-the-line talent, make sure the furniture is still comfortable and ergonomic. You can find such pieces even if they aren’t brand new.

#2 Reduce Overheads by Encouraging Telecommuting

Telecommuting or remote work is quickly becoming a popular solution for a considerable percentage of the population. Some estimates suggest that around two-thirds of employees would love to have the opportunity to work away from the office. 

Having team members avoid the regular commute even a few days of the week is an excellent way to decrease energy costs and overheads. 

When fewer people are making use of the office, there are fewer overheads to think about. 

You eliminate the need for spending nearly as much on lighting, air conditioning, and other essentials.

You might even be able to reduce the size of your office, which means fewer resources wasted on expensive real-estate that you may not always use. 

Even startup team members can reduce costs with a telecommuting strategy because they don’t have to deal with the costs of traveling to work every day. 

With so many apps and video conferencing tools making remote work easier these days, anyone can start saving money.

#3 Replace Outdated Electronics

Although it’s rarely a good idea to uncritically spend money on the latest tech for your business, electronics are going to make up a big portion of your annual spending. 

If you’re going to be investing more in electronics, the least you can do is make sure that they benefit you from an energy efficiency perspective. 

Look for items that have EnergyStar certifications when you’re shopping. You can get low energy consumption printers, laptops, coffee machines, and more. 

Even one of the simplest steps for reducing energy use, switching to environmentally friendly bulbs, still makes a huge difference these days. LED bulbs use up to 80% less energy than their counterparts, and they can last a lot longer too. 

Look around your office for the tech that’s most in need of replacement, then do your research to find ways of cutting down the amount of power each device uses. Switching just a few big machines out will make a huge difference. 

Consider getting rid of some old-fashioned tech if it’s not suitable for your business anymore – like your old fax machine. 

#4 Try Going Paperless to Cut Costs

Going paperless can save your business a lot of money in a number of ways, while simultaneously protecting the environment. 

You’ve probably noticed plenty of popular companies switching to online invoices, emails, and digital statements these days. That’s because printing letters is still one of the least eco-friendly things you can do.

Try to introduce as many alternatives to paper as you can. There are plenty of digital options. 

Switching to a paperless environment also means that you won’t have to stock rooms of your office full of filing cabinets to keep track of your documents. 

With less need for filing space, you can even downsize to something smaller and potentially save on rent and maintenance. 

Paperless options will also greatly improve your productivity. Digital records and reporting make life much easier for your team members when they need to find valuable information. 

For instance, with asset management tools, you can keep track of important details about how your team is operating, without countless print-outs. Knowing what you have and where it is can also show you what assets are just dead weight and which ones provide the best ROI.

You can use the same tools to track how team members are using particular resources, so you know which products to recycle, remove, or acquire more pieces if they’re being used often.

#5 Look for Alternative Ways to Power Your Office

In the past, installing solar panels and similar renewable energy solutions onto your office building would have cost a small fortune. 

Now that the governments in various parts of the world are doubling down on their energy efficiency efforts, there are grants and awards available for companies willing to explore alternative forms of energy. 

You could consider getting involved with a local program for solar energy or checking out some effective ways to lower utility costs without switching to a different source of power. 

For instance, having better insulation installed in your office enables you to control the temperature and keep colleagues comfortable without relying on air conditioning and heating. 

It is also a good idea to look into products that automatically switch thermostats and other devices off when someone hasn’t been present in the office for a certain amount of time. 

The less energy you use on powering your business, the more money you save while improving the environment at the same time. 

Hybrid power that splits your energy between the grid, and other alternatives, like solar power, is another option.

Going Green Will Save You Money

Going green is much more than a way to improve the competitive branding of your business. 

While an environmentally-friendly strategy will appeal to your customers and earn you a better chance of brand loyalty, it’s also an opportunity to give something back to the world. 

With the guidance above, you can implement an eco-friendly set of business processes that protect the environment and give you an extra boost to your bottom line. 

Start small with simple processes like going paperless and making sure all the lights in your office automatically switch off when no one’s there. As you begin to see the impact of green operations, you will be able to invest new time and money into outshining your competition.