Does Going Green Really Make Business Sense?

If you’re like me, the whole idea of ​​going green conjures up the image of a 1960s hippie gathering (remember them) with sandals and banners that say Save the Planet. Well, maybe you’re not as out of date as I am, but you should understand my general bias, going green is for radical left wingers who are demanding that everyone reduce their carbon footprint right now. Mainly because climate change and global warming are serious problems, which everyone should address, or the planet will go to hell fast, like right now!

Perhaps that is the extreme view of going green and one that bears little resemblance to modern practices of recycling, composting, and energy conservation to reduce our impact on the environment. The whole concept of going green has taken on an “individual” playing field in which each of us can reduce our dependence on our finite natural resources, many of which are non-renewable. Each of us can consume less, change our driving habits, recycle more items, and reduce our energy/electricity use. We can also plant more trees and/or support organizations that are trying to save the environment.

But what about business or companies? How do they fit into this green picture?

Like an individual, companies can act or implement certain procedures that reduce their impact on the environment. This really doesn’t have to be anything momentous (probably the wrong word), but simple actions that can make a significant difference. I was totally shocked when I read on a leading green guide website that approximately 50% (that’s half) of the trees harvested in North America actually go into paper production. Imagine what all this logging does to wildlife habitat and/or deforestation.

Even more surprising was the fact that it takes one tree to produce about two boxes of typing/fax paper and IF just 5% of businesses chose to send faxes via email (paperless fax), they would save over A million trees per year. Plus, you need to consider the full environmental cost of producing that paper in the first place: It takes more than 1,000 different chemicals and countless kilowatt hours of energy to make paper.

To further complicate matters, one must realize that in the United States (as well as other countries) producing energy often means burning more coal, which releases some nasty chemicals into the atmosphere, like nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, sulfur and carbon dioxide. Producing more of these chemicals creates more smog and acid rain. Oh.

One way that businesses, both large and small, can help the environment is to go paperless or develop a “paperless office” by leveraging new technologies such as digital faxing and archiving. Computers and email have truly changed the business workplace and greatly decreased our reliance on paper. Records, files, communications, faxes… now they can all be stored electronically or in digital form. This “paperless office” can be further enhanced with “cloud” services where all your information is stored on remote third-party servers.

We also have virtual PBX (Private Branch Exchange) services where most, if not all, of our calls and business communications can be handled via computers and the web. This includes Internet or email faxing which can be completely paperless. A change as small as getting rid of the old traditional fax machine can go a long way in making any business greener.

However, the question remains whether all this green stuff is good for business. The answer has to be a definite yes. Forget the environment for a moment, on a purely operational level, consume less energy, stop using paper, use digital files… it will make your company more efficient and cost less to operate. Saving money is always good for business. So is doing things in the most modern and efficient way possible, especially if your business depends on fast communications with employees, customers or consumers.

So, of course, we shouldn’t forget the whole PR benefit of going green. Emphasizing this green label on your products and services will definitely create more awareness and generate more business, especially among customers who now demand a greener alternative for many of the products/services they use or consume. Many companies are jumping on the “green bandwagon” for this reason alone: ​​it’s simply good for business.

While this can be perceived as a bit devious or even manipulative, if these companies can back up their claims with green actions, which actually benefit the environment, in the end, their motives don’t really matter because we all win. Reducing our dependence on non-renewable resources and/or consuming less energy can only be seen as a good thing. Good for the environment. Good thing for business. Now where did I put those wounded sandals?