On April 22, people around the world celebrate Earth Day by cleaning up their neighborhoods, planting trees, and other various activities to support sustainability. While these one-day events can be helpful, businesses would be better served using this annual holiday as an opportunity to make long term- changes.
In this post, we’ll walk you through how your business can get started by introducing more environmentally conscious efforts into the workplace.
Supplies: What makes office supplies eco-friendly?
Waste piles up easily in offices due to everyday supplies like single-serve disposable coffee cups, plates, and forks. While these items are convenient, they lead to significant waste over time. But there are ways to balance easy clean-up with sustainability.
There are green options for both disposable and permanent items that can make them more eco-friendly. Things to consider:
- Is it made from recycled material?
- Is it biodegradable?
- Does it have a certification, such as Green Seal, Greenguard, or other environmental certifications?
Looking for these features yourself may take a little extra time, but it’s worth it. Plus, at Quill, we make it even easier by putting them all in one place. Shop eco-friendly office supplies on our Eco-Verified page.
To get you started, let’s look at a few of the supplies that are easy to swap.
Make a sustainable switch with these office supplies
A quick review of your breakroom and bathrooms will reveal areas you can make greener. Even desk supplies and file cabinets have more sustainable counterparts you could be using.
Here’s a handy checklist to begin your overhaul:
Recycled copy paper
Recycled copy paper offers the same or higher quality compared to virgin paper, and often at a lower price. You can even find recycled colored paper for special projects.
Recycled paper towels
There’s no doubt, in a workplace setting, disposable paper towels are more sanitary than shared reusable cloths. However, switching to recycled paper towels helps you make this disposable product more eco-friendly.
Compostable and sugarcane plates and cups
Compostable is the best-case scenario for your disposable plates and cups, provided your business has a relationship with a commercial composting facility. Sugarcane disposables, in particular, are made from the fibrous residue leftover during the sugar production process – making them doubly sustainable.
Recycled office supplies
From sticky notes to file folders to pens, there are a range of recycled office supplies to meet your needs.
Recycled ink & toner cartridges
Buying remanufactured cartridges is a greener, more cost-effective option. You can also recycle your own cartridges.
Eco-verified furniture
If you’re looking to make a big change, you can invest in furniture made from recycled materials to contribute to an all-around more sustainable work environment that helps lower your carbon footprint.
Beyond supplies: Habits to improve sustainability in the workplace
Eco-friendly supplies are important, but it’s the consistent habits that will reduce your overall environmental impact.
Make recycling throughout the office easier
Label trash and recycling bins so everyone knows which is which, and make sure pick–ups are scheduled accordingly.
Reduce bottled water
Make refilling the simplest option with water dispensers always close at hand.
Save electricity
There are many ways to save electricity in the workplace. For starters, you can switch to energy-efficient lightbulbs, install motion-sensing lights, turn off lights when there’s enough daylight, and power down equipment when it isn’t in use.
Buy in bulk
This one might not seem obvious at first, but buying in bulk saves on packaging waste, which makes it a more sustainable option for stocking up on supplies.
Step into a more sustainable workplace
We hope these tips will help you plant the seeds for a sustainable future – so by the time Earth Day comes around again, your green efforts will already be blossoming.
Keep up with more business resources like this on the Quill Blog.