Being sustainable is becoming a growing priority for lots of businesses. Especially with growing concern about climate change and recent studies suggesting that sustainability is the key to companies attracting both customers and employees. This is something Lizzie McManus, founder of Warrior Agency, which helps businesses transition to a more sustainable future, knows all too well. Here are some of Lizzie’s simple tips for how businesses big and small can become more sustainable and reduce their carbon footprint:

1.  Use green energy. A super simple way to lower your carbon footprint is to switch to a green energy supplier. This is ideal for businesses who can’t afford to install solar panels or wind turbines to power their office, shop or factory. By choosing a green energy supplier, you can power your business with sustainable, low-carbon energy without installing anything. Big Clean Switch, the UK’s leading green energy comparison site, is a handy way to evaluate all the options and find the best one for your business.

2. Offset your carbon. As well as reducing how much carbon you produce, you can also offset the carbon you do create. This means removing carbon from the environment to balance out the carbon you’re adding to it. One simple way to do this is signing up to a carbon offsetting scheme, for example Ecologi, which calculates your business’ carbon footprint and plants trees to balance it out.

3. Throw out the printer – or at least use it far less. Where possible, opt for digital documents and sign contracts digitally, rather than printing things out.

4. Choose a sustainable pension fund for your employees. According to Make My Money Matter, changing to a sustainable pension fund is 21 times more effective in reducing carbon footprint than going veggie, switching to a green energy provider and stopping flying combined! 

5. Go digital. Traditional business cards are more often than not used once and thrown away. Instead, try a digital business card you can keep on your phone with a QR code people can scan to download your contact details. Easy!

6. Encourage greener commuting. Business can do all sorts to encourage employees to travel to work more sustainably, for example signing up to a cycle to work scheme or introducing car sharing.

7. Use refurbished technology. From staff kitchen microwaves to office computers and phones, choosing second hand or refurbished equipment significantly reduces your impact on the planet. Giving technology a new lease of life stops it from going to landfill and reduces the number of new products manufactured and amount of carbon produced in the process.

8. Get green lights. Not literally green, just sustainable. Choose LED bulbs and, even better, use timers for lights in infrequently used areas, such as toilets, so they switch off when no one is there.

9. Travel less. It’s easier said than done, but just try and stay as local as possible. If you do need to travel for work, use public transport and avoid flying as much as you can. 

10. Support environmental action. Through organisations like 1% For The Planet, you can pledge some of your business turnover to good causes that are helping the environment. From trying to tackle plastic pollution in the ocean to removing carbon from the environment, there are countless worthwhile causes you can support.