Often businesses are faced with compromises – making greater profits might come at the expense of taking on an ethically questionable client, while seeking to improve your social reputation could involve having to donate money to local charities. Cutting down on water use is a win-win situation: not only will it set your company apart as one that cares about the environment, but it’ll also help you make long-term savings.
While businesses in the hospitality and service sector are some of the biggest wasters with up to half of water being completely wasted, every business could cut down on the amount of water they use.These are just a few of the ways to help develop a drier business.
Encourage Staff To Report Leaks
While those drips might not look like they’re wasting much water one drop at a time, a leaking tap can see as much as 90 litres of water every week dribble down the plughole. Often staff won’t bother reporting leaking taps either because they assume someone else will report it or they don’t think it’s worth it. Make sure staff know who they should report leaks to immediately and you’ll quickly stop water ending up down the drain.
Make Water Conversation A Policy
Making a policy statement declaring your commitment to water conversation shows your staff, customers, and business partners that you take saving water seriously. It could also encourage other businesses to reassess the way they use water, having a positive ripple effect on the environment.
Set Goals
Businesses perform better when they’re working towards realistic, tangible goals, and cutting down on water use is no exception. Setting ambitious goals for how much water you want your business to save will encourage everyone to work together – just don’t forget to celebrate when you reach your water use goals.
Use Water-Saving Appliances
When buying or replacing appliances choose the ones that come with easy to use water-saving features.Dual-flush toilets for example can use as little as half as much water as regular toilets. Yes, these appliances may initially be more expensive, but they will save money in the long-term. Furthermore, purchasing certain water efficient products may qualify you for a rebate. In the UK you can claim Enhanced Capital Allowances for qualifying water efficient products on the Water Technology List for example.
Don’t take for granted that your staff will know how to take advantage of these water saving features. While it might appear patronising telling your staff how to use a dual-flush toilet, if you’re going to invest in the technology you should make sure it’s being taken advantage of.
Reduce Window Cleaning
The next time the window cleaners are due take a look at your windows – do they really need cleaning yet or could they wait? Cleaning your windows less regularly could have a minimal impact on the cleanliness of your windows but a significant impact on how much water you save helping you reach those all important goals.
Encourage Your Employees To Car Pool
There are plenty of good reasons to car pool – it reduces traffic on the roads and the cost of commuting to work for a start. But not many people are aware that car pooling can also save a tremendous amount of water – that’s because to produce one litre of petrol almost 13 litres of water is needed. Encourage your employees to car pool by offering those that do premium car parking spaces, or perhaps even putting car poolers into a raffle to win a prize.
Written by Amanda Stockhillof green cleaning company Ecocleen; providers of eco-friendly cleaning services and solutions. Find out more by visiting them online at http://eslsolutions.co.uk/.