Warehouses don’t always feel like the easiest spaces to make greener, especially when they’re always so busy and often messy, and the priority is usually just keeping everything moving rather than the environment. But the move towards eco-friendly practices in business is an important one, and even in an environment like a warehouse, enough small changes can be made to make a difference. With that in mind, keep reading to find out more about how to make your warehouse a more eco-friendly space.
Photo by Centre for Ageing Better on Unsplash
Reduce Waste Through Better Sorting And Smarter Suppliers
Warehouses generate a massive amount of waste, including packaging, pallets, broken materials, and general debris that quickly builds up. So if you can set aside a few simple sorting areas for recyclables, reusable packaging, and actual rubbish, it’s going to help keep that waste under control much better. And of course, the easier the system is to follow, the better the results are going to be.
On top of that, choosing more durable cleaning tools can also help reduce what gets thrown away. For example, switching to natural fibre options like a tampico brush means you’re not replacing worn out synthetic brushes quite as often, and you’re using materials that break down more easily over time as well.
Look At Your Energy Usage
You might find you’re wasting a lot of energy in your warehouse, so it’s worth taking a look and seeing what might be able to be changed somehow. Lighting is often the biggest energy drain in a warehouse, especially if you’ve got the overhead lights on all day, but if you switch to LEDs, add motion sensor lights, or even put in some skylights, for example, you can immediately cut energy costs. The same goes for machinery – regular maintenance keeps equipment running efficiently, and that prevents energy-wasting breakdowns.
Don’t forget that ventilation is important as well, and clean fans, clear vents, and well-maintained filters can help regulate temperature naturally, so you’re not using too much heating and cooling.
Reuse More, Replace Less
A lot of eco-friendly progress actually comes from reusing what you’ve already got. For example, sturdy pallets can be repaired instead of thrown out, and containers can be cleaned and used again. Even packaging materials like padded wraps or craft paper can go through a few uses before they’ve got to be thrown out.
These ideas reduce waste, but they’re also a good lesson for the people in your warehouse because they can see how well it’s all working, and see the good they’re doing, and use that in their own lives at home as well.
Encourage Everyday Habits
Eco-friendly practices only work properly when the whole team feels totally involved, so sending out some clear (polite) reminders, adding some useful signage, and creating some easy systems can make a massive difference.
In the end, if these things all point towards some easy little everyday habits, like turning off equipment between tasks, for example, or picking up mess right away, and so on, you’ll have a greener space without having to work too hard at it.
