Small office, big impact – three easy ways your small business can benefit from investing in sustainability

Find out how your small business can make a real difference to the environment.

For businesses with under 10 employees – sometimes known as SoHos (small office home office) – it’s easy to feel that only bigger businesses should be tackling sustainability.

95% of smaller businesses believe sustainability is important. But over one third of these companies aren’t focused on reducing their carbon footprint because of concerns over cost, time and resources². As the following tips show though, it’s surprisingly easy to make a real difference to your business’ sustainability level. The results should also be good news for your balance sheet and your customer appeal as well as for the environment.

Make more sustainable choices

The rise of remote and hybrid working has led to a big increase in the use of smartphones as essential business tools. All these extra smartphones however will ultimately end up as more electronic surplus, which already makes up 70% of the world’s toxic waste.¹

You can help this by choosing devices like smartphones with sustainability in mind. The widely-used Eco Rating initiative is an easy way to check the green credentials of any new smartphone you have in mind.

It offers like-for-like ratings on key measures like durability, ease of repair, resource efficiency and more. So when you’re in the market for a new phone, you can easily check its sustainability scores alongside key features like storage and camera resolution, making the best all-round choice.

“60% of small businesses are aware of net zero concepts, but 53% are not yet ready to commit to decarbonisation.“²

Renew devices less often

Many businesses renew their smartphones every year or two. Extending the life of smartphones to four and a half years however cuts their environmental impact by up to half, because 80% of your phone’s carbon footprint is created at the manufacturing stage.³

Battery life and OS support is better than ever. As such, there’s a strong business case for extending the life of your phones – as well as a compelling environmental one.

Avoiding unnecessary replacements minimises electronic waste and makes your business more sustainable, as well as freeing up funds to use elsewhere. Choose affordable plans that include free battery health checks and replacements to keep your phones in peak condition throughout their life.

“Around 40% of SMEs look for a commercial basis for their green decisions.“⁴

Man using a laptop while chatting on a mobile call

Trade in your old devices

It pays to trade in your old devices rather than getting rid of them or leaving them in a cupboard. It earns money to put towards your next devices or invest elsewhere. Plus, you’ll be preventing scarce resources ending up in landfill, reducing the environmental impact associated with disposing of harmful substances.

Schemes like The Great British Tech Appeal make it easy to donate your old devices to families and individuals in need. It’s free and easy, and your old device will be re-boxed, given six months free connectivity, and help someone gain access to digital services. If you prefer, you can trade in your old devices and get handy extra cash.

Hopefully these simple steps show how sustainability is within reach of every business. They take little or no time, it’s just a case of doing what you do already in a slightly different way. It also costs nothing, and in many cases you’ll actually make or save money.

You can help your business stand out by mentioning your sustainability credentials on your website and in sales conversations. You’ll also appeal to the 80% of consumers who say they plan to purchase from environmentally friendly firms.⁵

Learn more about how we’re supporting sustainability in everything we do