Eight Ways To Green Your Retail Business

Going green. Recycle, reuse, renew. These days you can't escape the green movement and you shouldn't. But how to do it?

Here are Eight Tips to Green Your Business I've collected from smart retailers :
- Reuse all packaging material. When you look at it, how smart is it to throw out perfectly good packaging styrofoam, brown paper, bubble wrap, etc. only to buy new?
-Break down all cardboard boxes and reuse. Some shipping companies will take them away and return as needed; just ask. Several retailers do this and have found it particularly effective.
-Don't use water bottles. Instead use a water cooler and paper cups. You could do this in your store, office or specify it at your next meeting or convention.
-No paper handouts for conferences. Consider posting them online prior, emailing them to participants to view on their computer or even provide attendees with a flash drive with all of the handouts.
-Buy local whenever practical. It results in less petroleum and pollution. A benefit to you is less transportation costs.
-Stop mailings. Changeover your physical mailing list to become and email list. It saves paper and money plus you can do it more often.
-Stock bathroom better. Look for post consumer recycled tissue products to lessen demand for virgin forests.
-Replace lighting. Wherever it won't affect displays, for example with general lighting, replace floodlights with compact fluorescents. Just make sure the new bulb fits entirely in the old holder if customers will see it. Nothing looks more third-rate than a bunch of pigtail energy bulbs sticking out of a ceiling fan, wall fixture or dangling from a ceiling. But for a display to pop, there is still nothing better than a halogen spotlight.

Smart green retailing saves money and the environment.

Got good greening tips for business? Please share in the comments section below.

Learn how to green your wallet at www.retaildoc.com.