Earth Day Special: 7 Steps Your Business Can Take to Go Greener
7 Steps Your Businesses Can Take to Go Greener
For businesses in the tech sector and beyond, becoming more sustainable isn’t just about environmental impact—it’s about future-proofing operations, reducing costs, and meeting the expectations of increasingly eco-conscious customers and employees. Here's how you can move from ambition to action:
1. Conduct a Sustainability Audit
Before making changes, assess your current impact. Use a professional service or tools like the Gov.ie Carbon Calculator to evaluate emissions from energy use, employee commuting, data centres, and supply chain operations.
Quick Win: Start by reviewing your utility bills for the past 12 months to identify trends and areas of high consumption.
2. Switch to Green Energy Providers
Energy is often an easy start when it comes to making a big impact. Switching to 100% renewable electricity can drastically cut your carbon footprint. In Ireland and the UK, providers like Energia, Octopus Energy, and Ecotricity offer green tariffs for businesses.
Quick Win: Contact your current provider and request a green tariff comparison—or use a green energy switching service tailored to SMEs.
3. Optimise Device Lifespan & Embrace Circular IT
IT equipment contributes significantly to electronic waste and embodied carbon. Extend device life through upgrades instead of replacements, and use certified IT asset disposal services to recycle or repurpose old hardware.
Quick Win: Implement a company-wide IT refurbishment policy: devices must be assessed for upgrade potential before being replaced.
4. Reduce Digital Carbon Footprint
Running servers, websites, and cloud services consumes energy. Opt for green hosting providers like Krystal or Greenhost. Compress images, streamline website code, and eliminate unnecessary third-party scripts to reduce data load.
Quick Win: Use tools like Website Carbon Calculator to assess your site’s impact and identify optimisation opportunities.
5. Cut Single-Use Office Waste
Install filtered water stations and provide reusable cups and cutlery. Eliminate single-use items in the office and work with suppliers who offer returnable or compostable packaging.
Quick Win: Audit your office bin for a week. What’s being thrown out? Use that data to drive your first office-wide waste reduction policy.
6. Make Remote Work More Sustainable
Hybrid work is already reducing emissions from commuting, but you can go further by promoting low-energy home setups and supporting employees with sustainable tech (e.g. laptops with high energy efficiency ratings).
Quick Win: Create a green home working guide and offer grants or stipends for eco-friendly upgrades (e.g. LED lighting, efficient monitors).
7. Set Goals and Report Progress Transparently
What gets measured gets managed. Set specific, time-bound sustainability targets (e.g. 30% emissions reduction by 2027) and report your progress annually—internally and publicly. This builds trust and keeps your team accountable.
Quick Win: Join initiatives like Techies Go Green, where you can access guides, peer learning, and expert help setting goals aligned with science-based targets.
Final Thought:
Don’t aim for perfection—aim for progress. Small, practical changes, when sustained and scaled, make a measurable difference. By embedding sustainability into operations, culture, and procurement, businesses of all sizes can lead the way to a greener future.
📣 Want tailored guidance on reducing your environmental impact? Join the Techies Go Green community and connect with like-minded businesses taking action.
