Being environmentally aware and as eco-friendly as possible is more important than ever, as we all do our bit to ensure a greener, more sustainable future. And as we spend more time in the office than anywhere else for a large part of every day, making our workspace more eco-friendly makes sense. So whether you're an office manager or an employee, these tips will help create a more eco-friendly and environmentally conscious office environment.

Easy, eco-friendly wins for your office

Getting green and eco-friendly isn’t as hard – or expensive – as you might think, and there are plenty of ways to minimise your impact while increasing your green credentials. Here are some tips on getting some easy, eco-friendly wins for your office:

Change your office paper

While we should all use the office printer or photocopier less, sometimes it’s necessary. Check your current stock of A4 or A3 paper. If it isn't already, make sure you choose 100% recycled or FSC-certified paper from sustainable sources. And always recycle used paper!

…Or just go paperless!

A paperless office is the ideal, but often, it’s nowhere near achievable. While the overriding message should be to print less, going paperless and sharing documents is easy and convenient using cloud services like Dropbox, Google Drive, or Microsoft One Drive.

Unplug electrical devices

A big, eco-friendly win for your office is to reduce power consumption where you can. Turning off and unplugging electrical devices from the mains, like printers, monitors, and computers, is much better than leaving them on standby which still uses electricity. This procedure also applies to kitchen essentials like kettles, microwaves, and a hot water dispenser if you have one.

Invest in indoor plants

Ensuring an eco-friendly pot plant is on every desk and a few larger pots dotted about your office will help purify the air. While absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen, they can also remove chemicals from the air released by printers and other office equipment – and they look great. Go for low-maintenance plants that can survive in low-light conditions.

Get serious about recycling

Between us, we produce a lot of waste, and recycling properly is vital to reducing the need for landfill sites and the amount of plastic in our oceans. Having clearly marked recycling bins will help avoid confusion about what can and can’t be recycled.

Eliminate single-use plastics

Reducing the most common single-use plastics is a fantastic eco-friendly win for any office. If you have a shared kitchen, replace disposable cutlery, cups, or plates with standard reusable versions. And give each staff member a branded reusable water bottle to refill from your office water cooler to encourage daily hydration and say goodbye to plastic cups and single-use bottles once and for all.

Go eco-friendly with Thirsty Work

If you haven’t yet made the switch to an office bottled water cooler or mains-fed water cooler, there are a few ways they can help you be more eco-friendly and save the planet. But if you’re unsure which model is most suitable for your office, you can find out more by speaking to our Thirsty Work water cooler experts.

They can answer all your questions and give you a free quote or even get you started on a no-obligation, 10-day free trial to see which model is best for you and your team. So call us at 01392 877 172 or emailing hello@thirstywork.com toda