Why is it your corporate social responsibility to recycle?
In the current business climate there is increasing pressure on businesses to display good ethics. Taking a keen interest in recycling can be a good way to show your consumers that you are a business they can trust.
Why is recycling important?
The UK alone produces upwards of 200 million metric tonnes of waste every year. In a world that is constantly attempting to reduce its reliance on unsustainable energy sources, recycling reduces the amount of energy used in the production process. This is because processing recycled materials saves a significant amount of energy compared to producing new materials from raw natural resources.
As a business it is important to ensure that you are playing your part in ensuring that the world we live in is sustainable.
The environmental impact
Greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels contribute to climate change, which is responsible for extreme weather such as floods, droughts, hurricanes, tsunamis and more. The greenhouse effect, caused by the release of greenhouse gases, also contributes to global warming which results in sea levels rising as the polar ice caps melt. Reducing the reliance on fossil fuels for energy by cutting down the energy used in the production process directly reduces the amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Recycling is one way to do this.
Improved recycling can also reduce the reliance on landfill. Currently, around two thirds of landfilled waste is biodegradable which releases huge amounts of landfill gas (consisting of mostly carbon dioxide and methane) per tonne as it decomposes. This produces a terrifying risk of explosions and significantly decreases the quality of air and water in the local area.
Your corporate social responsibility
As a business, you have certain corporate social responsibilities that you are expected to follow in order to operate legally and ethically. An important part of this involves the environmental efforts that a business makes to reduce the size of their carbon footprint and the amount of waste they produce. By responsibly managing your waste, you can guarantee that your business fulfils its corporate social responsibilities in order to minimise legal issues or the likelihood of consumers feeling unsatisfied or feeling distrust towards your business.
Benefits for your business
In an age where the accessibility of social media is putting more power in the hands of the consumer, it is important to display that your business is operating ethically and sustainably in order to receive and maintain a good reputation. Having a good reputation as a business can increase consumer confidence and ensure those you deal with feel confident and happy entrusting you with their business.
If your business is using a sustainable business model, you can use this as a unique selling point to consumers in order to extend the reach of your marketing to an audience of environmentally conscious consumers.
How we can help
Shred-on-Site provides a secure, confidential document shredding and recycling service which can offer peace of mind when it comes to the safe destruction of documents. They guarantee all waste is disposed of or reused responsibly to make your business more sustainable and environmentally friendly.
To find out more about what Shred-on-Site has to offer, call today on 0800 181 4106.
Author: Mark Coombes, Follow me on Google+
