It’s a misconception that sustainable practices are only relevant to large corporations. The small and medium enterprise (SME) market in South Africa contributes about 34% of the country’s GDP and 50-60% of the labour force, making it crucial for SMEs to get involved.

Adopting green technology not only helps to reduce your business’s carbon footprint, but it also aids in creating value, cutting costs and building your brand. Consumers are becoming increasingly conscious and are actively looking to back brands that do their part for the environment.

In this article, we look at several changes your SME can make to join in.

1. Improve energy efficiency

Improving energy efficiency in the workplace is an easy way that SMEs can become more eco-conscious while at the same time reducing operational costs.

Switch to energy-efficient lighting, appliances and equipment.
Optimise heating and cooling systems.
Monitor energy usage and identify areas for improvement.

2. Conserve water

Saving water is another entry-level change your SME can make. It is relatively easy to do and affordable to implement.

Install water-efficient fixtures.
Harvest rainwater and use this for irrigation.
Repair leaks promptly.

3. Adopt green IT

Green IT refers to all the electronics, apps and computer infrastructure your office needs to function. Opting for greener solutions will lead to reduced energy usage and less electronic waste.

Use energy-efficient hardware such as low-power servers and desktops.
Choose green web hosting for your SME website.
Recycle or dispose of electronics and batteries correctly.

Did you know: Domains.co.za’s web hosting servers are housed at Teraco? Teraco is not only Africa’s largest data centre, but it also generates a good portion of its energy needs from its 6MW rooftop solar system, is cooled naturally, uses less than one cup of water per IT kilowatt-hour and recycles 37% of its waste every month.

4. Start a compost bin

Businesses of any size can start a compost “heap”. This will help to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills.

Collect organic waste such as fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds and paper towels.
Use the nutrient-rich soil for landscaping or donate it to a farmer in the community.

5. Recycle. Reuse. Reduce.

Encourage a culture of the 3 Rs in your business.

Go paperless.
Minimise waste in the office.
Buy second-hand where possible.
Say no to single-use plastics.
Turn off lights and devices when not in use.
Make use of recycled or biodegradable packaging for your products.

6. Invest in renewable energy

Sadly, load shedding is not going away anytime soon. Taking the renewable energy route therefore makes sense for your South African SME on more levels than just one.

Install solar panels on the rooftops of your office building or warehouse.
Sign a power-purchase agreement with a renewable energy developer and purchase electricity directly.

7. Support sustainability projects

SME business owners don’t always have the time or energy (mind the pun) to run sustainable projects in-house. If that is true for your business, try getting involved another way.

Donate to a carbon offset programme for reforestation, renewable energy or methane capture initiatives.
Volunteer for community or beach clean-up events.
Partner with local environmental organisations for conservation projects.

8. Make use of eco-friendly cleaning products

Harmful chemicals not only damage the planet but are negative to the health of your employees and customers.

Use biodegradable detergents.
Buy non-toxic disinfectants made from natural ingredients.
Choose smart products like microfiber cloths that require less water and chemicals for cleaning.

Sustainability is a process, and it needs your whole team to work together to succeed. Set achievable goals and tackle them one by one. It may be a good idea to provide training and incentivise your employees for getting it right.

About Domains.co.za
Domains.co.za is a domain name and website hosting provider based in Johannesburg. We don’t believe in tying our customers down with tedious contracts. But we do believe in offering a great service and excellent, affordable products. In fact, we usually exceed our 99.9% uptime promise. The core of our business is to help entrepreneurs, start-ups and small businesses take their ventures to the world wide web. All our packages are scalable, which means they grow with you. We also offer value-added services like SSLs and anti-virus as well as a very simple-to-use website builder called Site Builder. Oh, and have you heard about our customer control panel? You’ll love it!