Go Green: Sustainability Trends in 2018

Going green has become a popular business strategy. With news of declining natural resources and the worsening effects of global warming, achieving sustainability in business operations has become more of a requirement than an option. The public has also come to favor green business practices and has put pressure on companies to become more sustainable.

Businesses that don’t want to be left behind have jumped onto the sustainability bandwagon. Going green is also great for an organization’s profitability and bottom line. Below are some sustainability trends that are driving business practices.

Cloud Computing

Moving your organization’s software to the cloud could lead to energy savings, in addition to improving operational efficiency and agility. According to a six-month study conducted by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Northwestern University, moving common software applications used by 86 million workers in the US to the cloud could save enough electricity annually to power Los Angeles for one year.

More Companies Are Investing in Renewable Energy 

Renewable energy is energy that can be naturally replenished and that has a low environmental impact. While renewable energy is still expensive compared to traditional energy sources, it is becoming increasingly cheaper to use. Major companies are investing in renewable energy, such as solar and wind energy, more than ever before.

The largest corporate purchaser of renewable energy is Google. Google has set the goal of operating 100% with renewable energy at a global level. Other companies making major investments in renewables include IKEA, Amazon, and Cisco Systems.

Sustainability as a Selling Point 

Companies both large and small are using sustainability as a selling point for their customers and investors. For example, Walmart has announced that it is working toward creating zero waste and is using this as a competitive advantage.

A growing number of consumers care about a company’s ecological footprint, so going green can help to create new revenue. Today’s consumers are more likely to look for brands that better align with their values.

Consumers frequently use technology and social media to determine the origin of products. Therefore, a number of companies are turning to certified sourcing programs to demonstrate the sustainability of their products.

How Add-On Products Can Help Your Company Achieve Sustainability

Add-On Products offers a number of different solutions that can help your organization achieve its sustainability goals. Our solutions include digital signage software, meeting and resource booking software, and team calendar software. Our tools help to improve resource utilization, reduce energy usage and paper waste, and lower carbon emissions. For example, our resource booking software Resource Central allows you to manage hot desking and hoteling workspaces. This allows you to fit more workers into existing space and use that space more efficiently, leading to significant cost savings and a smaller carbon footprint.

Organizations can also use Resource Central to manage their meeting room and resource booking operations. This helps to streamline the meeting room booking process and prevent booking errors that lead to meeting rooms going empty. Meeting cancellations are automated, so service providers are notified as well. This prevents catering orders that are no longer needed from being delivered, which helps to eliminate food waste.

Resource Central also allows users to generate reports and evaluate meeting room and resource usage, which facilitates the identification of opportunities to reduce waste and optimize resources. Resource Central also includes a visitor management module that does away with the need for paper visitor logs. Additionally, Add-On Products’ digital signage software Ariadne and Digital Sign Service have helped businesses lower their carbon footprint by eliminating the use of print signs.

For more information about our solutions and how they can help your organization achieve sustainability, please contact us to set up a free demo!