Saving money is one of the biggest concerns for any business, but being sustainable should also be at the top of every company’s task list.
Not convinced? Then let’s be crystal clear about this: it’s no good reducing your costs if the environment has decayed, meaning people don’t have the jobs and money to buy your goods.
With this thought in mind, I’ve given you three great ways of saving money and the environment. Try them all and both your business account and the planet will be healthier for it.
Get fuel cards for all of your drivers
Pretty much every business has drivers, whether that’s for people going to work, delivering goods, or visiting clients. Fuel cards save money by giving you access to discounted fuel, and they save the environment by helping your company to go paperless.
Discounts on diesel and petrol are the obvious reason that fuel cards save you money, but there’s another way that might save you even more cash — they create electronic, HMRC-approved invoices. How does this benefit your business? It could see you get a bigger tax rebate from the government.
The electronic invoices you get from fuel cards are also why they make your company more sustainable. Going paperless reduces the number of trees that are cut down to produce your receipts and invoices.
You should use a reputable site to find the right card for you. For example, iCompario explains how BP fuel cards work on its site. They come with account management software that makes it easy to track your drivers and simpler to record how much money your business is spending on fuel. When you combine this with the electronic invoices you get for each fuel purchase, this gives you a tool that saves money and the environment.
Move staff to WFH wherever possible
WFH (working from home) is an obvious tip right now, but no less important. This because it saves money by lowering overheads and makes your business more sustainable by reducing its carbon footprint.
It’s fairly obvious how you get lower overheads from getting your staff to WFH – you can have a smaller office that has less stuff in it, saving on rent and also on the cost of equipment.
There are a few ways WFM reduces your carbon footprint, so I’ll focus on the most important – it means there’s less pollution from vehicles. The reason for this is that less of your staff need to drive to work, so their cars, motorbikes, vans, and lorries don’t harm the environment as much.
Coronavirus lockdown means that you’ve probably already started moving towards WFH wherever possible. But if you haven’t (or there’s still work to be done) I recommend getting advice from a reliable site. For instance, Betterteam covers how to help your employees to WFM and you can use it to help them make the transition.
Use second-hand office furniture & equipment
Being a completely remote business isn’t feasible for every company, but you can tweak your office approach to save money and be more sustainable. How? By using second-hand furniture and equipment.
Everyone loves a bargain and second-hand office items can be just that – they cost less than new goods and (if you have a keen eye) can be just as good as their younger counterparts.
It’s not just your company account that feels the cost of new furniture and equipment – the environment feels it too because energy and resources are required to make them. By electing for a second-hand item, you can save a few more trees and reduce the fuel spent on making new items.
You should use a trusted second-hand store to get your once new items. MyMyDIY has listed the 15 best online used furniture stores. This is a great place to start, but I also recommend searching “second-hand stores near me” – this will give you the most trusted local options.
Recommended reading: Finding The Balance For Monitoring Remote Employees
These are just three of the great ways you can save money and be more sustainable – some of the other examples include swapping company cars for business bikes, using energy-saving light bulbs, and selling off your old equipment.
Whatever tips you choose, the important thing is you do your bit for your business and for the environment too.
