The hot topic on the tip of everyone’s tongue today is the growing threat of global warming. As governments are being put under great pressure to up their environmental efforts and reduce their carbon footprint, so too are businesses.
If you are a commercial business owner in Thailand and you are conscious of making your business more sustainable and doing your part, then this is the article for you. We’re going to share some tips on how to make your company more sustainable and eco-friendly to reduce commercial carbon emissions here in Thailand.
Why is it so important to make your company more sustainable?
It’s important to make your commercial business more sustainable for a number of reasons:
- To reduce the impact that your company has on your local environment (e.g., reduced emissions with a drive toward using recyclable materials, etc.).
- To meet growing pressure from governments to meet certain criteria and demonstrate a conscious effort toward environmental sustainability.
- To prove to your customers that you are eco-conscious and that your brand shares similar values to them (this is critical in today’s climate given that the modern consumer is far more interested in working with green and sustainable businesses).
Making your business more sustainable and taking the necessary steps to reduce the impact that your business has on the environment can help your business in a multitude of ways. Not only will it improve your brand image in the eyes of your customers, but it can also attract new business as well.
Again, the modern consumer wants to spend their money with eco-conscious brands. When you take the necessary steps toward making your business more sustainable, you’ll effectively be sending out a signal-flare to all the stray consumers who are actively looking for a reputable and responsible business to invest their loyalty–and more importantly, their money–with.
Additionally, in some cases, choosing the more sustainable options may actually be able to save you money in the long run.
Read on if you’d like to learn more about what you can do to make your business more sustainable in Thailand.
How to make your business more sustainable in Thailand?
There are many different things that you can do to make your business more sustainable, for example:
Consider a shorter work week / work-from-home hybrid approach
If your employees are able to carry out their duties from home, it could be worth considering a hybrid approach to the way you work.
For example, you could have your employees come into the office 3 or 4 times a week, with 1 or 2 days working from home. Not only can this save your employees money on commuting to work, but it will invariably reduce your company’s carbon footprint and lower commercial carbon emissions in Thailand.
Offer alternate transportation solutions
Rather than have all of your employees drive to work, you might want to consider offering them alternatives.
With employee benefits such as a ‘cycle to work’ scheme like the UK, or offering to cover their BTS Skytrain fees in exchange for giving up driving to work, you can make a huge difference.
Certainly, this is an expense that will come out of your pocket, but such environmental and employee-centric schemes can work wonders for your brand image.
Go paperless where possible
If you haven’t already, going paperless (where possible) is a very effective way to make your business more sustainable. Not only that, but how much money are you currently spending each year on paper, stationary, and printer ink?
Going electronic with a lot of documentation is not only greener, but there are some brilliant security benefits that come with Cloud Computing as well.
Remove single-use products from your office
Are you using plastic cups in your office? Or foam cups for the coffee machine? By banning all single-use products from your establishment and encouraging the use of regular mugs and glasses, you can not only save money each year but significantly reduce your carbon footprint.
Recycle
This should go without saying, but endeavour to recycle everything you can, where possible. You could even look into updating the materials used to manufacture your products.
Opt for local suppliers
If possible, opting for local suppliers is a huge step towards making your business more sustainable. Not only that, but you will be supporting other local businesses in Thailand as well.
Switch to eco-friendly alternatives
From bathroom and office cleaning products to fair-trade coffee, switching to eco-friendly alternatives is another excellent move toward sustainability.
In some cases, you will likely have to pay more, however, if you can ‘go-green’ in every aspect of your business, there’s a good chance that you will be able to attract more eco-conscious customers.
Give back to your community
Think carefully about any ways in which you can contribute to your local community. If you are a restaurant owner for example, you should consider donating any excess food that would otherwise be thrown out, to homeless shelters.
A good example of this is the work that Casper, a mattress manufacturer, does for charity. They promise never to re-sell any returned products and instead, donate them when possible or have them ethically recycled.
Compost your food and green waste
The fact is, over a third of all food produced in the world is wasted each year (some 2.5-billion tonnes), ending up in landfills. This leads to gargantuan methane emissions, one of the biggest contributing factors to greenhouse gases and thus global warming.
Your business can help reduce this impact by choosing to compost any food and green waste that you produce. For example:
- There are commercial-sized electric food waste composters available which are perfect for restaurants, hotels, and other businesses in the hospitality industry. Rather than simply throwing your food waste into the trash, you can use your electric composter to make your own compost in-house. If you’ve got plants in your establishment, you can keep them happy, healthy, and growing strong with an organic, recycled by-product, thus saving money on unnecessary and environmentally harmful chemical fertilisers. Your business saves money, your plants get free food and look great, and you significantly reduce the amount of waste your business produces.
- Even in an office environment where you don’t produce all that much food waste, there are other smaller electric food waste composters which would be suitable. That way, any food waste from your employee’s break room can be repurposed into food for your office plants, as opposed to being thrown in the trash and added to the landfills in Thailand. It’s a win/win!
Final thoughts
By simply making small changes, your business can make a hugely positive impact on the environment.
Again, not only is this the considerate thing to do, but it’s also a highly effective way of improving brand loyalty and ultimately attracting more business.
In a time where so many people are anxious about the future of our planet and global society, consumers are looking to businesses like yours to lead the way.
If you demonstrate that you are serious about making a difference, people will respect you and your business will thrive as a result.
We hope you’ve found this article insightful and wish you the best of luck with your journey toward greater sustainability.