4 ways small businesses can become more environmentally friendly in your country

For small businesses, it is much easier to commit to environmental protection because they are much more flexible in their operation, and decision-making is much more centralized. This commitment can translate into straightforward things. For example, you can reduce the use of paper. In France, paper consumption represents around 9 million tons per year, or approximately 280 kg of paper per second, whether for newspapers, gift packaging, working documents, etc. When producing a single sheet of A4 paper consumes several liters of water, and more than 90% of the paper produced comes from trees, reducing paper consumption is a straightforward action but highly beneficial for the environment. To do this, simple gestures are enough, such as avoiding printing documents that can be viewed electronically, favoring duplex printing to reduce the number of sheets used, or even recycling paper.

Another way to act in favor of the environment for a small business is to control its energy consumption. Computers and other devices left on standby, air conditioning or ventilation that work when not needed, office lights that stay on, all this represents about 30% of electricity wasted by businesses in France according to an article that appeared in the newspaper "Le Nouvel Observateur." This waste is very similar to that which can be seen in households. To remedy this, small businesses could adopt responsible behaviors such as making sure to shut down all devices that do not need to remain on standby, turning off all unnecessary lights, better isolating offices to save on heating and air conditioning. Several companies offer tools for managing electricity in companies.

Small businesses can also pay attention to their CO2 emissions, especially when using professional vehicles. They can, for example, favor electric or hybrid cars that are less polluting. Employers can also encourage their employees to use public transport by setting up incentive measures such as the reimbursement of the annual subscription to public transportation, or even the setting available to employees, bicycles or electric scooters. Some public authorities in France subsidize the use of less polluting vehicles by companies located in the municipality. It is a way for them to commit to environmental protection and an advantage that small businesses can benefit from.

Finally, there is an indirect way to act in favor of the planet for a small business. It is to choose its business partners (suppliers, distributors, and subcontractors), according to their environmental commitment. This is, for example, what the French company LEA Nature, a leader in the sale of organic cosmetic products, which only buys from suppliers respecting the environment and also respecting a fairly precise specification. This specification includes, for example, the non-use of pesticides, deliveries by road rather than by plane or the use of biodegradable packaging.

Protecting the environment can be done at all scales. We can notice that all the proposed solutions are simple everyday gestures which people do not often think about and which nevertheless can save the planet from the chaos which threatens it if consumption habits do not change.

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