Small business owners can integrate technology in order to make their business more environmentally friendly.

Firstly, go paperless! This will drastically reduce waste. Where possible, digitalise communication, billing, invoicing, etc. This is not only good for the environment but will also save the business money. It may be difficult to go entirely paperless if the companies you conduct business with are still using paper communication, but you can still make these changes where possible – especially with internal operations.

Many businesses have been forced to conduct work from home during 2020 which is incidentally a great way to reduce emissions. Working remotely is facilitated by significant improvements in technology. Online applications allow team members to collaborate and discuss in real-time without any issues. Remote working also removes travel altogether, reducing transport-related pollution. It also means that large amounts of electricity used for massive buildings are saved. Switching to remote working will save leasing costs which can be reinvested into other company resources.

Technological updates in renewable energy can also be utilised by small businesses. For example, if your business has a small office, adding solar panels can be extremely efficient in reducing carbon emissions. Although solar panels may seem expensive at the start, they may end up saving you costs over time!