Let’s face it, many companies turned their backs on “Going Green” years ago. It wasn’t cost efficient and why fix something if it isn’t broken. But thanks to advances in technology this is no longer the case; in fact you can be losing out on a substantial annual cost savings. Simply put - you cannot afford to put off these changes any longer. Listed below are a few suggestions on where you can easily start to make your business more environmentally friendly.
The Facility:
- Lighting - like your light bulbs at home, LED bulbs consume less energy and have a longer lifespan. They’re also safer as they’re cooler than incandescent lights, which reduces combustion risks. Add motion sensors to keep the lights off until they’re needed.
- Insulation – “I’m not heating the whole neighborhood”… yes your mother/father was right. Proper insulation is key on preventing your company from letting that expensive hot and cold air out.
- Temperature – The exact amount of heat (or cold air) loss from a building does depend on your specific external temperature. Try dropping the thermostat 1 or 2 degrees to see how that will directly affect your costs. But remember to check with your employees for their feedback and concerns. Did they notice the change?
- Regularly maintain building and warehouse equipment– make sure to regularly clean out heating/air conditioning units to help extend their life and keep them running properly. Keep equipment charged and replace parts as soon as an issue is noticed.
- Fans – will help to circulate warm and cool air.
- Recycling – check with your local recycling companies to confirm products accepted and set up a program at your company. Also look into equipment you can bring into your facility to assist with your recycling such as balers and/or corrugated shredders.
- Have a water cooler and offer incentives for re-usable water bottles and/or coffee mugs. This will eliminate wasteful water bottles and Styrofoam cups.
In and Out Bound Shipments:
- Cradle-pack instead of putting each item in an individual box whenever possible.
- Research diligently and don’t focus on upfront costs – Items like high performance stretch wrap, high-tensile strength strapping and/or tape may cost more up front but we strongly recommend doing a cost-per-load analysis. PackSmart provides this service to our customers and often found these products provide our customers with a substantial annual cost savings. And that also means less waste due to less consumables being used. PackSmart has an excellent white paper that deals with this concept.
- Use biodegradable or re-usable products – On your inbound shipments, can you reuse the boxes, void fill, strapping, etc.? Keep this in mind when you choose your packaging products on your outbound shipments.
These are few easy ways to put your company on track to being environmental sustainable. Listed below are a few links that have some additional suggestions and case studies. Good luck and happy recycling!
https://www.sustainablebusinesstoolkit.com/lean-and-green-machine/
http://www.inboundlogistics.com/cms/article/creating-a-greener-warehouse/
https://www.environmentalleader.com/2011/08/coca-cola-a-case-study-in-sustainability/
https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/series/sustainability-case-studies