The world needs positive climate action from tech corporations. If you need April 22 as a concrete motivator to start making greener changes, the best time to start planning is now. Here are 6 ways in which tech companies can celebrate Earth Day and switch to more sustainable practices.
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These are some of the most impactful ways for tech companies to celebrate Earth Day and mitigate their environmental impact. It is sure to provide benefits for companies’ bottom lines and employee morale, alongside improving the health of out planet.
1. Intentional Carbon Offsetting
Every tech company has a carbon footprint. Driving for commutes, shipping phones, and booting up PCs all contribute to the endless pounds of greenhouse gases wearing down the atmosphere. Instead, you can invest in carbon offsetting programmes. When carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere, its climate impact can be cancelled out by absorbing equal amounts of carbon from the atmosphere. Companies can compensate for the climate impact of their greenhouse gas emissions by supporting projects that reduce or store carbon emissions. This also allows your business to reflect on carbon usage and take responsibility.
There are hundreds of ways to offset carbon, one of the most popular being tree planting. Consider alternative options more aligned with a tech company’s specialty, such as funding emerging carbon-capture technologies or reducing emissions from e-waste.
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2. Mindful Parts Sourcing
Every tech company is solely responsible for sourcing every part of its products. Earth Day is perfect for evaluating suppliers and seeing where greener options are available. Apple is taking charge of this and finding recycled metals to replace everything from circuit boards to remotes. Focusing on reusing materials instead of encouraging raw material mining is one of the most remarkable ways to make a greener tech sector.
3. Careful Energy Use
Tech companies use copious amounts of energy. Therefore, if you can invest in cleaner renewables, there is more to gain than just a good conscience. Any renewable energy source – like wind power or solar – could help cut utility bills, freeing company budgets to meet staffing needs or invest in more eco-conscious initiatives. Start researching corporate options for renewable energy for Earth Day because it might be the most financially intelligent investment you’ll make all year.
4. Noteworthy Remote Work Opportunities
Celebrating Earth Day represents progress, changing to keep up with a developing world. Some tech companies may need to catch up because of antiquated technology or clunky business models. One of the best ways to free time and resources is by offering employees remote work options, which forces tech companies to digitise and adapt to more eco-friendly and streamlined operations.
Remote work is more than just reducing fossil fuel use from commutes. It also means moving to greener digital storage solutions like the cloud instead of using old, energy-intensive internal hardware. Moreover, resource expenditure for office buildings decreases drastically. Moving to remote work makes companies evaluate the options they have. When they do this, they recognise every outdated item could upgrade to a more eco- and energy-friendly alternative.
5. Practical Electronics Recycling
E-waste is one of the most prominent waste surpluses on the planet. You can begin researching options today to take swift action on this global issue. Here are a few options tech enterprises can consider:
- Install an internal electronics recycling programme, with potential incentives for employees who contribute.
- Reach out to others in the supply chain to encourage implementing electronics recycling programs.
- Take steps to curb business-generated e-waste by finding recycling providers.
- Support nonprofits – financially or with volunteers – to perform e-waste cleanups in affected communities.
- Spread awareness about e-waste education.
Electronic waste sits in landfills and underprivileged communities, adding to global emissions and leaking toxins into the soil and waterways. You can take a stand this Earth Day to minimise these effects.
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6. Influential Goal Setting
Maybe your company does not have the resources to buy solar panels or travel the world to take care of e-waste. Brainstorming goals for the year inspired by Earth Day is just as significant.
There are myriad objectives to work towards, and you can commit to as few or as many as the organization can handle. Focusing on a few eco-conscious goals well is more valuable than spreading resources too thin.
Here are some ideas of environmental goals tech companies can work on:
- Minimise office supply and paper waste.
- Switch out all tech – printers, PCs, tablets, or phones – to eco-friendly options.
- Monitor energy use metrics and set a percentage to reduce it.
- Choose sustainable packaging.
- Seek third-party environmental certifications.
- Invite environmental consultants to advise the company.
- Create an environmental management team.
Be as creative as you can with your resources. No effort is too small. If you need models to work from, corporate social responsibility and environmental, social, and governance approaches are practical frameworks to cite for inspiration.
Celebrate Earth Day With Purpose
Whether it’s recycling a pound of electronics or installing solar panels, every effort to celebrate Earth Day will matter for tech companies. Each step is valuable and sets a precedent for the industry. Each tech company that makes a promise this Earth Day puts the planet one step closer to a sustainable future that equally supports nature and humans.
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