Making your office climate-friendly doesn’t require a massive overhaul or corporate-level policy shift. Whether you’re an employee, a manager, or someone just getting started with sustainability, small, intentional changes can lead to meaningful impact. This guide gives you simple, practical ways to green your workspace one habit at a time.
Who is this guide for?
This guide is for anyone who works in or manages an office and wants to make a positive environmental impact no matter your role, experience level, or company size. Whether you’re an employee looking to start small, a team leader aiming to inspire greener habits. If you believe small actions can lead to big change, this guide is for you.
Make Digital the Default and Printing the Exception
Why this matters
Printing is a recurring source of emissions, cost, and waste in many offices, often without adding real value. Because printing habits are strongly shaped by defaults, small configuration changes can significantly reduce unnecessary use without disrupting legitimate needs.
What to do
- Set printers to double-sided and black-and-white by default
- Limit printing access to essential use cases rather than open, unrestricted printing
- Gradually shift standard workflows such as HR forms, onboarding, and invoicing to digital tools
Decision lever
You influence office systems, permissions, and how tools are configured and rolled out.
Metric to track
- Pages printed per month
- Printing costs per employee
- Percentage of workflows that are fully digital
Guardrail
Avoid hard “no printing” rules that create workarounds or frustration. Defaults and thoughtful exceptions tend to reduce printing naturally without creating resistance.
More reads
Set an Office Energy Efficiency Standard
Why this matters
Energy use from lighting, heating, cooling, and office equipment is one of the largest and most measurable sources of workplace emissions. Importantly, much of this energy use is driven by systems and default settings rather than individual behavior, which makes it especially well-suited to operational improvements.
What to do
- Introduce automated shutdown schedules for lights, screens, and shared equipment so energy use doesn’t depend on memory or good intentions
- Prioritize LED lighting and energy-efficient appliances when replacements or upgrades are already planned
- Review heating and cooling setpoints to ensure they’re reasonable and not running harder than necessary outside occupied hours
Decision lever
You typically have influence over facilities setup, equipment choices, and the default configuration of office systems.
Metric to track
- Monthly electricity usage (kWh)
- Percentage of lighting converted to LED
- Energy cost savings quarter over quarter
Guardrail
Try to avoid approaches that rely on reminding people to turn things off. Defaults, automation, and system design tend to deliver more consistent results with less friction.
More reads
- Energy Saving Ideas in the Workplace: Employee & Employer Tips
- Reducing your energy consumption in the office
Introduce a Sustainable Office Procurement Framework
Why this matters
Individual office purchases may seem small, but taken together they represent a steady and scalable source of environmental impact. Procurement rules are powerful because they shape decisions repeatedly, without requiring ongoing effort or attention.
What to do
- Define clear sustainability criteria for office purchases, such as recycled content, credible certifications, or minimal packaging
- Standardize preferred suppliers that consistently meet those criteria
- Make sustainability part of the normal purchase approval process rather than an optional add-on
Decision lever
You influence vendor selection, purchasing guidelines, and how buying decisions are evaluated.
Metric to track
- Percentage of office spend that meets sustainability criteria
- Reduction in single-use or non-recyclable items over time
Guardrail
Be cautious of products that look “eco” but don’t actually reduce impact. Durability, reusability, and lower overall volume usually matter more than branding.
More reads
- Eco-Friendly Office Supplies
- Our Guide to Sustainable Office Supplies
- Reusable Coffee Cup Statistics
- The Benefits of Using Reusable Cups and Food Packaging in the Workplace
Decision Timing / Leverage Moments
These actions tend to have the greatest impact when they’re aligned with natural decision points, such as office moves, renovations, equipment replacement cycles, or vendor contract renewals. At these moments, sustainability improvements can often be integrated with little additional effort or cost, because systems are being changed anyway. Recognizing and preparing for these inflection points helps turn routine operational decisions into lasting improvements.
Enable Lower-Carbon Commuting Without Policing Choices
Why this matters
For many workplaces, employee commuting represents a significant portion of total emissions associated with office work. While commuting choices are personal, workplace policies and infrastructure can strongly influence which options feel viable and attractive.
What to do
- Offer subsidized public transit, cycling benefits, or similar incentives where feasible
- Improve practical infrastructure such as bike storage, showers, or flexible start times
- Support hybrid or remote work arrangements when they align with team needs
Decision lever
You often have influence over office benefits, facilities planning, and coordination with HR or people operations.
Metric to track
- Participation in commuting programs
- Percentage of employees using lower-carbon commute options (self-reported is usually sufficient)
Guardrail
Avoid monitoring or judging individual commuting choices. The goal is to make lower-carbon options easier and more appealing, not to enforce compliance.
More reads
- Public Transit, Walking, and Biking
- Get on your bike: Active transport makes a significant impact on carbon emissions
Redesign Waste Systems for Correct Sorting Not Perfect Behavior
Why this matters
Waste reduction efforts tend to fail when they rely on people guessing or remembering complex rules. Clear, well-designed systems reduce contamination and landfill waste far more effectively than signage alone.
What to do
- Standardize waste stations with clear labels and a consistent layout across the office
- Remove individual desk-side trash bins to encourage use of shared, correctly labeled stations
- Coordinate with cleaning services and waste providers to address contamination and operational gaps
Decision lever
You influence office layout, signage, and relationships with cleaning and waste vendors.
Metric to track
- Waste contamination rates, if available from providers
- Reduction in landfill waste over time
Guardrail
Simply adding more bins rarely helps. Clarity, consistency, and placement tend to matter much more than quantity.
More reads
Systems as Cultural Signals
Well-designed systems do more than reduce emissions.They quietly shape how work gets done and what the organization values. Defaults around commuting, waste, and shared spaces send everyday signals about what’s normal, expected, and supported, without relying on rules or enforcement. Over time, these signals help sustainability feel embedded in the workplace rather than layered on.