Zero waste is a goal that pretend to guide people in changing their lifestyles and practices in order to reduce exponentially the amount of waste they produce. The main objective is to get rid of all discharges that are a threat to humans, animals or plant health and any waste that can contaminate land, water or air. Zero waste attempts to reduce and eliminate the volume and toxicity of rubbish sent to landfill.
Why be a zero waste business?
Turning to a zero waste lifestyle is not just good for the environment; there are also many other advantages related to health, finances and time-management. Being a zero waste business has multiple benefits such as:
- Save your company money. By reducing the amount of waste your business produce, you will spend less on waste management and disposal.
- Get an eco label. If you embrace a zero waste approach, your brand could be labelled as “green business” which are great news because, at present, customers increasingly want companies to be environmentally responsible.
- Build consumers trust. Becoming a zero waste company can help you build trust with customers, stakeholders and local communities.
- Gain a competitive advantage. By becoming a zero waste business, you can develop your competitive positioning and differentiate your brand from other companies that provide similar services.
- Improve operations. Reducing and eliminating waste production will streamline your operations and lower your manufacturing costs.
How to become a zero waste company?
As we have analysed, reducing and eliminating waste can bring many advantages to your company. This brings up the following question: how to become a zero waste business? Here are some tips to help you cut down your business waste and eventually getting to that desired “zero waste” landmark.
Monitor your current waste
The first step to make the switch towards zero waste is to determine where the majority of your waste comes from. Does your team print unnecessary documents? Do they bring in plastic food packaging? If you find out where the rubbish come from, you should be able to evaluate and implement the steps to reduce it.
Be careful what you buy
Sometimes, cutting down on waste simply means purchasing less or don’t buy disposable products. You can also choose environmentally friendly options, products that are made sustainably or options that have or can be recycled.
Reduce and recycle as much as you can
You can save money and make your business more efficient by focusing on how you reduce, reuse, recycle or recover your business waste, and how you deal with the waste that remains. Reviewing every aspect of resource management will help you to identify opportunities to reuse and recycle materials.
Digitize your operations
Digital transformation not only can streamline your business processes; it can also help us to save the planet. Digitization allows companies to improve business intelligence and their ability to act sustainably. If your organization not longer need to create multiple backup copies and tonnes of printed documents, it will reduce significantly the amount of waste.
Get rid of paper
Globally, paper represent 25 percent of waste in the landfill and 33 percent of municipal waste. To produce paper and paper products, about 68 million trees are cut down every year Also paper production uses up lots of water. An A4 paper needs 10 litres of water per sheet. If you get rid of paper, you will significantly reduce the amount of rubbish you produce.
Consumers are more aware than ever about environmental issues. A recent Unilever research study revealed that 33% of consumers are choosing products from environmentally friendly brands The study stated that 53% of UK consumers and 78% of US consumers affirmed to feel better buying sustainable products. Are you doing anything to reduce the amount of garbage generated by your company?
Datascope is a Chilean business that attempts to eliminate paper forms from companies, which would allow companies to increase their productivity by 19%, according to their owners.
DataScope is a platform which allows various industries to streamline, organize and evaluate the work of their field staffs thanks to online forms which provide real time indicators 100% adaptable to any field.
