Being seen as a sustainable business is incredibly important these days, with many large companies going out of their way to reduce their carbon footprint in order to come across as an organisation that cares.

This trend isn’t limited to major firms, however, even small businesses have to consider their image.

But not only does reducing your energy output help to present you in a good light,  it can also save you money – and smart businesses have already recognised this major benefit.

Here are some green changes your company should consider adopting in order to stay ahead of the competition and save cash.

Turn off equipment

Turning off computers at the end of the day can not only have a huge impact on your electricity bill, it also goes some way to helping the environment.

While it’s tempting to leave devices switched on overnight, if they’re not going to be used you could save yourself around 25 per cent on the amount of energy you use.

Reduce travelling

The cost of travelling to and from the office – as well as having to meet with clients in various locations – can result in your company having a large carbon footprint, not to mention a huge dent in your budget.

One of the best options facing organisations is the use of teleconferencing to cut down on the need for travel.

Whether it is talking to prospective clients from another country, or just holding key training sessions that all members of staff need to be involved in, conference call providers make it easy for everyone to stay in touch without having to be based in the same physical location.

Time spent commuting from office to office can be slashed as meetings can take place in an instant through conference calling facilities – not only will this save time and increase productivity, it will also help companies to reduce emissions.

Get motion sensors

Lighting can account for up to 40 per cent of a company’s energy costs, but to lower this, consider fitting your office with motion sensors that are activated when a person walks past it.

This is a good way to ensure energy for lighting in areas that are used less often – the kitchen or store cupboard, for example – isn’t wasted.

Print less

Paper makes up a huge amount of waste, even though it’s one of the easiest materials to reuse and recycle.

Use as little as possible and be smart about the paper you do use. Don’t print off everything – for example, emails can be effectively organised within online inboxes making them easy to access from anywhere and at any time.

But if you really do need to print something, make sure you use sustainable paper and recycle it when you are finished.

Upgrade old equipment

Older equipment can be a real drain on energy and while it may seem like a huge outlay updating technology and machinery, in the long run you will save energy – modern equipment is much more efficient.

Recycle

Recycling shouldn’t be considered a chore, as it is so easy to do. Place bins around the office and ecourage staff to use them for items such as paper, even milk bottles can be recycled! However, make sure they each one is clearly labelled with the material that can be placed inside it and wherever there is a normal bin, put a recycling one next to it too.