In a world overburdened with diminishing natural resources, and the rapid deterioration of global ecosystems, environmentalism has become more than a trend. In fact, it has become a global movement backed by whole populations, countries, and of course, the business industry as well. There is a need for every 21st-century business to pick up the green flag and do everything in its power to become more eco-friendly and aid the preservation of Earth.
What’s more, this needn’t be a grand undertaking or a huge investment that will set your business back financially, as introducing eco-friendly solutions can be affordable and help you make substantial monetary savings in the long run. With that in mind, here is how you can make your laundry business environmentally friendly.
Reuse and recycle everything
First things first, there is a need to cut raw material use across the board and incentivise your customers and employees to go digital wherever they can. For instance, instead of dealing out promotional flyers at the door, you can offer free online memberships and keep in touch with your demographic via email and social media. Not only will this give your brand more reach, but it will also cut paper consumption.
But the recycling game doesn’t end there, as you also want to introduce a reusing policy your employees and customers will follow. While you can always demand of your employees to reuse raw materials wherever they can, you will need to incentivise your customers with promotions, special deals, and loyalty rewards. So, for instance, instead of throwing metal hangers and plastic covers away, your customers can return them to your store to be repurposed, in exchange for a small discount.
Change to a green lighting scheme
In a laundry business, the lights are always on in every room. Simply put, there is no way to escape the need to constantly keep the lights burning due to the high-traffic nature of your business, but what you can do is replace your old lighting scheme with an energy-efficient one.
Traditional light bulbs are huge energy wasters, spending more energy on heat production than actual illumination. On the other hand, by simply replacing incandescent light bulbs with LED lights, you can not only cut your energy expenditure by 75%, but you will also eliminate the need to replace light bulbs for years to come. This way, you can keep the light on constantly and safeguard the environment.
Invest in energy-efficient equipment
One of the most important elements of a truly eco-friendly laundry business is the use of energy-efficient equipment. This does not only mean using energy and water-efficient washing machines and dryers, it also means using an energy-efficient gas steam boiler to boost warm water accumulation while cutting down energy expenditure.
While it might seem like a sizeable investment at first, any financial planner will tell you that investing in eco-friendly equipment now will yield higher savings tomorrow. What’s more, there are plenty of financing options out there that will allow you to procure the right equipment to kick-start your green business, or even upgrade an existing one without any financial risk.
Offer natural, eco-friendly products
As a modern laundry business, you should offer a myriad of services to your customers other that washing and drying, in order to attract the local community to your store and transform them into loyal customers. Plus, the more benefits you offer, the higher the chances of spreading the word about your brand  .
Aside from laundry pick-ups and delivery, you also want to offer natural, eco-friendly products whenever possible. This means using eco-friendly products in your wash cycles (and displaying that fact proudly) and also offer natural cleaning products in your buyer’s section. After all, there is no reason why a modern laundry business wouldn’t sell certain cleaning supplies as well, so why not create a positive company culture by making them green to boot?
Optimise your HVAC system
Industrial HVAC systems are notorious for their cumbersome energy consumption, and if you’re looking to green up your business, then you should definitely look into your HVAC system as well. Truth be told, the system is kind of a necessity in the modern unstable climate conditions, but there are certain solutions that might be able to replace it.
First off, consider replacing your HVAC system with ceiling fans that will support airflow without using too much energy. It’s also a good idea to invest in proper interior and exterior insulation to prevent heat from escaping the store during winter, and keep the interior cool during summer. If you have to use the HVAC system, though, you can always lower the temperature by a couple of degrees to save money and energy. Do make sure to turn the system off when the store is closed.
Raising the green flag and building an eco-friendly business should not be a financially taxing chore, provided that you take it one step at a time and invest in eco-friendly solutions early on. Follow these steps and you will have no problem preserving the environment while making long-term financial savings to boot.