Mia
The importance of sustainability is paramount. While many individuals can do certain things to help the environment, the biggest impact will come from businesses working to be more sustainable. So, what exactly can a business do to reduce their environmental impact?
Going Paperless
For many of us, paper waste one of the first environmental issues we were introduced to. The deforestation associated with paper production, as well as the carbon footprint associated with transporting paper all over the world, is a serious matter.
These days it is becoming easier and easier for businesses to go paperless. There are many benefits of this – for obvious reasons, it will save a business a lot of money to go paperless; with everyone using computers for work these days, it is not hard to rely on digital documents.
What is more, by going paperless, businesses can signify their commitment to sustainable practices, and indicated that they want paper production to be reduced for the sake of the environment.
Migrating to the Cloud
The sustainability benefits of the Cloud are many and varied. Over the last 10 years, many businesses have been migrating their businesses to the Cloud – while not everyone is using it already, it is definitely considered the future of business.
To start with, Cloud computing is much more energy efficient, and can replace a lot of on-premise infrastructure, namely servers and on-premise datacentres. Having the right Outsourced IT Support for your company can make a big difference in what route you choose. The lifecycle of these types of hardware are incredibly short in comparison to the Cloud – they have to be replaced every few years, which means not only is there a significant carbon footprint associated with their manufacture, but they also produce a significant amount of waste. What is more, servers and datacentres produce a lot of heat, and therefore require cooling, which can produce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
A business’ usage of the Cloud can be scaled up almost indefinitely, without needing to invest or expand their hardware – therefore a business can manage their carbon footprint as they grow.
Businesses can cut down on the energy they consume, and waste they produce, and the GHG they emit, by migrating their infrastructure to the Cloud.
Going Remote
Many businesses may have been forced to go remote in early 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it is a practice many found to suit them well and, better yet, it is also a very sustainable practice.
Businesses that have gone remote have been able to get rid of their office, and therefore reduce their energy consumption. What is more, employees are driving their cars less, because they no longer need to commute.
