If you’re looking for some green office ideas to help your company make a difference to the planet, we’re here to help. We know it can be hard to know where to start, but even the smallest changes can have a positive impact.
At Slouch we play our own small part in helping offices to be greener by creating high-quality desk chairs that resist throwaway culture.
Every element has been designed by product engineers to be as robust as possible in order to stand the test of time. From tough-wearing foot castors to foam seats made with the same dense foam used in car seats to resist sagging. After all, it’s better for the planet when people can buy quality but buy once.
Our team has put together a comprehensive guide of other meaningful changes you can make to take more steps towards a green office.
Why make your office greener?
It’s simple really. It boils down to it being our responsibility to the planet as well as being what’s important to both customers and employees. Last year, PWC’s national consumer survey revealed that 80% of consumers say they are willing to pay more for sustainable produced or sourced goods. So in order to stay in favour with consumer preferences green credentials are vital.
And it’s not just customers who you’ll be pleasing. More recent research has revealed that up to 71% of job seekers want to work for environmentally friendly employers. So your investment in eco-friendly practices will help make you more attractive to top talent as well.
Now that we know what high-stakes benefits are on the line, let’s get into our full list of sustainability ideas for offices. We hope they might help you move towards greener ways of working that you might not have thought of yet.
Plus, you might also find that along the way you encounter some appealing fringe benefits such as cost savings from reduced energy bills and better productivity. Win-win!
Slouch’s top 25 green office ideas
Switch to LED lighting
If you haven’t already, make the switch to energy-efficient LED bulbs throughout your office. They use up to 75% less energy than traditional bulbs and last significantly longer, reducing both your carbon footprint and maintenance costs.
Opt for eco-friendly cleaning products
Here’s a simple but quickly actionable green initiative. Instead of buying cleaning formulas with harsh chemicals that can contribute to pollution, choose cleaning products that are more environmentally friendly. Look out for certified eco-labels and concentrate formulas to reduce packaging waste.
Install motion sensors
Stop paying to light empty rooms. Motion sensors are a simple solution to ensure that your lights are only on when needed. Spaces like meeting rooms typically aren’t in use all the time but are often lit all day despite this.
Encourage office carpooling
Set up a carpool system to help colleagues who live near each other share rides to work. It’s an easy way to cut commuting costs and carbon emissions, plus it’s an easy way to promote team bonding. A simple company Slack channel or WhatsApp group can help people find their carpool matches.
Support workplace EV charging
If you have staff who do drive to work, why not take advantage of the government’s Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) which covers up to 75% of installation costs of charging points.
It’s a practical way to support staff who want to make the switch to electric vehicles while also future-proofing your workplace. Funding is available until March 2025, so get in there now while you can!
Create a green team
Keep being more planet friendly at the top of your company’s agenda by forming a sustainability committee that has the power to make meaningful changes. Give them a budget and let them drive initiatives forward. The best ideas often come from employees who spot day-to-day opportunities to be more sustainable.
Go paperless
You might be surprised how many people still print out far more than they need to. Implement a clean desk policy backed by digital systems to remove unnecessary paper usage. Company files can be stored in a shared cloud drive and even contracts can be exchanged digitally using e-signatures. You might also notice that you’ll have a tidier office as a result…
Track your printing
Here’s an idea that follows on from going paperless to reduce your carbon footprint. Most printers come with tracking capabilities. Use them to set up monthly reports to see who’s printing what and implement reasonable limits. Often just making people aware of their printing habits naturally reduces unnecessary printing.
Extra tip: Make double-sided printing the default setting.
Maximise natural light
Position desks under windows to make the most of natural daylight. Not only does this reduce energy consumption, but natural light has a huge positive impact on employee well-being, leading to benefits like improved mood and mental health.
Create wildlife-friendly outdoor spaces
If your office has any outdoor space, even just a small courtyard or few window boxes, you can turn it into a haven for local wildlife. Plant native flowers and shrubs that attract bees and butterflies – they’ll not only look great but help support your local ecosystem too.
Swap to green web hosting
There’s an invisible carbon footprint that your company could be building up if you’re hosting your website with a provider who isn’t eco-conscious. In simple terms, websites cause the servers they’re hosted on to consume a lot of energy.
If you want to run a truly green office, choose a hosting provider who runs their data centres exclusively using renewable energy. It’s often simpler to switch than you’d think and they often don’t cost any more than standard hosting providers.
Embrace hybrid working
You might already be doing one of the greenest things you could do to reduce your company’s ecological impact. Unnecessary commuting is hugely carbon-intensive. Question whether you could implement a remote hybrid working model so that staff have to come in less.
Plus, you might find you can downsize your office space, reducing energy usage even further!
Add in some plants
Our next green office idea is all about greenery, literally. Plants aren’t just nice to look at – although they do spruce up a workspace – they’re natural air purifiers too. Pop some low-maintenance options like peace lilies or snake plants around your workspace.
Install smart temperature control
If it’s within your power, install a smart thermostat system that automatically adjusts based on office occupancy and time of day. This can also make a big difference in reducing your overall heating costs.
Implement a Cycle-to-Work scheme
Help your team save on cycling equipment through the government’s Cycle to Work scheme, which lets employees pay for bikes and accessories through salary sacrifice, saving on tax and National Insurance.
You can also support cycling commuters with practical additions like installing bike racks or having basic repair kits on hand at the office. Even small changes like having a dedicated place to store wet weather gear can make cycling to work more appealing.
Calculate and offset your carbon footprint
Want to take your sustainability commitment to the next level? Start by calculating your office’s carbon footprint – there are plenty of free online calculators that make this easier than it sounds. Once you know your impact, you can take action to neutralise it through carbon offset projects like tree planting programmes.
Clean up your digital footprint
We’re going to kill two birds with one stone with this next idea to make your workplace more sustainable. Have you ever noticed that as you download more files and build up more emails your computer gets slower?
A slow-running device making heaps of noise can be one of the biggest office distractions as well as using massive amounts of energy to keep everything accessible.
Solve this issue by having regular clear outs of old emails, unused files and attachments. You’ll have a faster laptop and reduce the energy burden from your servers.
Opt for energy efficient appliances
When replacing office kitchen essentials like dishwashers, microwaves and fridges, choose models with top energy ratings (A or B). While they might cost more initially, they’ll cut down both your bills and carbon footprint.
Did you know – Modern efficient dishwashers actually use significantly less energy and water than washing up by hand.
Start using eco-friendly stationery
These days you can supply your office with eco-friendly stationery with no extra hassle. In particular anything made from plastic – like pens in particular – can now be made using recycled plastic and you can also purchase recycled printer paper and refillable printer ink cartridges! Buying in bulk can also reduce the overall packaging.
Remember to turn electricals off before you leave
All those computers, monitors, printers and kitchen appliances left on standby are silently using power even when no one’s around. Get into the habit of properly shutting down at the end of each day and especially on Friday before the weekend.
Set up a comprehensive recycling system
As green office ideas go, this one might sound obvious but you’d be surprised how many offices don’t have a proper system for recycling. Ensure you’ve got separate bins for each type of refuse and a plan for how to empty them, like a monthly collection.
The next step is to encourage usage. The trick here is proper labelling and some instructions on what can and can’t be included. It might sound a little boring, but it really does increase the chance of everyone getting it right.
Start a composting programme
In addition to setting up a recycling system, why not go one step further and encourage composting for food waste?
Set up a dedicated bin in your kitchen area for fruit peels, tea bags and coffee grounds. Many local composting services now offer workplace collections or you could donate it to nearby community gardens. It’s an easy way to reduce waste going to landfill.
Unsure about the practicalities of having a food waste bin in an office kitchen? Don’t worry – you can purchase specialised worktop compost bins with replaceable charcoal filters to stop any unpleasant odors.
Only boil what you need in the kettle
Did you know that the kettle is one of the most power-intensive appliances in your whole office? Using it to boil a full kettle of water uses the same energy as running an LED light for 23 hours! Yet most of us fill it right up just to make one cup of tea. In an office where a lot of brews are made, that can really add up. Get in the habit of only boiling what you actually need.
Use local suppliers when you can
Cut down on transport emissions by working with local businesses for everything from fruit boxes to office supplies and even catering for when clients visit. The fewer miles something has to travel to get to you, the lower the carbon debt. Plus, it helps support your local economy.
Consider green certification
Standards like ISO 14001 and BREEAM give you a clear framework for environmental management and publicly demonstrate your commitment to sustainability. While ISO 14001 focuses on your environmental management systems, BREEAM assesses the sustainability performance of your building itself.
It’s not just a box-ticking exercise as the process of getting certified often helps you spot areas where you could be doing better.
Interested to know what this would entail for your business? Take a look at ISO’s video overview of what the 14001 certification is and is and what it requires.
Ready to start your sustainability journey?
We hope that’s sparked some ideas for how you can make your office more environmentally friendly. Don’t be daunted by that long list though – after all, sustainability is a journey, not a destination anyone expects you to be immediately at.
The most important thing is that you make it part of your mission to make small but consistent changes to your workplace. You’ll be feeling proud about how green you are in no time.
Want to get your hands on office furniture that won’t let you down or end up in a landfill in a year’s time? Browse our 5-star Trustpilot rated sturdy office desks and chairs.
Have questions for our customer service team? Get in touch at [email protected].
