We can all contribute to sustainability with simple actions that constitute more of a lifestyle, a positive habit than something specific.
With these actions we contribute to sustainability by reducing our carbon footprint and ecological impact, protecting the planet and increasing our health at the same time. our health at the same time.

1 · Reduce waste. Circular economy. Lifecycle.
It is about the reduction (zero waste) and recycling of waste and reuse.
1 – Recycle waste at home and at work.
All the good recycling habits that we have at home, we often forget when we are in the office, in both cases we must facilitate recycling. The employer can promote the existence of well distributed and identified recycling containers and that his employees know the recycling rules within his municipality.
2 – Avoid throwing the plastic away.
Using a plastic cup or even a plastic-cardboard cup can have a significant environmental impact. There are about 220 business days in a year. If you drink 2 coffees a day that represents almost 500 cups and 500 teaspoons unnecessarily discarded each year.
A lot of waste would be avoided if every employee switched from a disposable cup to a reusable one. The investment pays for itself quickly. The same goes for cutlery and disposable tableware.
Do not throw away the hygienic masks, they cause great pollution and can cause the death of animals. Recycle.
3 – The impact of food: be rational
It creates a lot of waste. Help yourself and eat only what you are really going to eat.
If you order with home or work delivery, try to place a group order. If 20 different people order from different places, this multiplies not only the number of containers and packing bags, but also the delivery trips.
If you cook, don’t throw away the leftovers, save them for the night and find another way to cook them.
4 – Measure the impact of your waste and organize challenges or incentives to reduce them
When we are in the office, since it is not really a space under our responsibility, it is often easier to lose sight of the waste we produce. But between printed papers, coffee pods, water bottles, single-use cups, office supplies or excessively used paper napkins to dry our hands: we are responsible for generating a large amount of waste.
For more clarity here and to motivate yourself to act, try measuring the impact of your waste. And organize competitions to see who produces the least waste.
5 – Reuse and repair.
Electrical equipment, batteries, light bulbs, office supplies, plastic bottles and glasses … Instead of buying new devices and contributing to deforestation, try to fix them, reuse them (even if it is for another purpose).
6 – Use sustainable packaging
For companies that sell and ship products, packaging is an important part of the operation. From the packaging in which each unit is sold to the postage to the boxes in which it is finally shipped, this material accumulates quickly.
Recycled paper and cardboard are proven and sustainable packaging options, but steps have also been taken towards creating fully compostable packaging that results in zero waste at the end of its cycle.
2 · Energy efficiency
Building insulation
The energy demand of real estate (house, office etc) is brutal, especially of those old ones emitting tons of CO2.
Insulating buildings is therefore essential to reduce energy bills and reduce CO2 emissions.
Do not open the doors or windows when the air conditioning / heating is on, close the blinds during the afternoon period to avoid losing heat, double glazing …
Passive houses have very good insulation.
Efficient use of energy and lower energy expenditure. Good manners.
Turn off the lights when you leave the bathroom, for example. Or by adapting your heating to the outside temperature (if the weather is nice, there is no need for heating) and minimizing the use of heating and air conditioning.
Turn off the computer when you go to eat. Do not print documents unless you really have to. Do not leave the chargers and transformers plugged in.
Keep all heating, ventilation, cooling and related equipment and systems in good condition.
Cook in microwave or induction better than traditional fire or oven.
Take a shower instead of a bath. Dry your clothes in the open air better than in the tumble dryer, save the washing machine to the maximum by taking advantage of the loads …
Automation and home automation
Currently there are systems of automatic lighting switches, heaters with thermostats that adapt automatically or home automation systems that reduce unnecessary consumption, smart switches …
You can also configure your equipment correctly without using these smart devices. For example, you can install software to put your screen into standby mode after a certain period of no activity. Or you can lower the brightness of the screen or even put your laptop in power saving mode if you are not using all its power …
Use of renewable energies.
Choose renewable energy sources on your bill or install renewable energy equipment (wind, solar, geothermal, etc). It is not enough to reduce the use of fossil and polluting energies, but we must change towards clean and renewable energies.
Invest in eco-design equipment
If you have the option, choose eco-design kits. Buy or rent energy-certified laptops and displays, which use less energy. Switch to LED lights that are much more efficient. Buy certified paper as sourced from responsibly managed or recycled forests. In short … choose more environmentally friendly materials and devices.
Learn to use your digital devices correctly
For example, stop copying your emails to all friends or colleagues when in reality it does not add any value to anyone. Remove that big image from your signature; it is useless and overloads your emails. When you know that each email can emit up to 50g of CO2 by adding large attachments which is almost 1km by car.
Buy carbon offsets
Finally, for any part of a company’s carbon footprint that cannot be reduced through change, the purchase of offsets can lead to carbon neutrality.
Companies can use a variety of carbon markets to calculate and offset their emissions. When choosing, it is important to seek third-party certification and the projects in which the investments are made.
3 · Mobility and sustainable transport
Car sharing, cycling, electric bicycles, scooters, even walking… There are dozens of alternative methods of mobility that can replace cars and their high CO2 emissions.
4 · Training, awareness and education.
Most people say they want to invest in eco-friendly products.
If we promote with our actions or by training a social behavior, an ecofriendly lifestyle, most people will copy it. People consider it a good behavior to do it as the people around them do, social influence is of great weight and the human being is a creature of habit. If everyone contributes, the others will contribute even in small ways.
5 · Use sustainable and ecofriendly products.
Both people at home or at work as well as the companies themselves must promote actions that facilitate the use of sustainable and ecofriendly products.
For cleaning, hygiene and cosmetic products, you should opt for products without artificial ingredients, chemical additives and that are of ecological and natural origin. Using these products keeps toxic ingredients out of streams and waste out of landfills as well as ensuring better health.
Clothes towards a slow fashion trend. It is the opposite of fast fashion. It encompasses an awareness and approach to fashion that takes into account the processes and resources required to make clothing. Advocates for the purchase of better quality garments that last longer, and values fair treatment of people, animals and the planet throughout the process
Organic food. Both at home and at work, it is preferable to opt for local, seasonal and organic products. When we know that a kilo of beef is equivalent to 15 to 40 kg of CO2 due to its total production process and yet rice or lentils represent only 1 to 3 kg of CO2 per kg of feed makes you think (although eye, avocado has a high ecological impact).
Printer paper, cleaning products or take out containers can be harmful to the environment due to the processes involved in their manufacture.
For all commonly used paper items such as toilet paper rolls and printer paper reams that are recycled and recyclable that maintain a circular economy and reduce overall waste.
6 · Digitization
In your work, think about digitization! Paper replacement and travel with online work to avoid wasting time, energy and resources. Its environmental impact is not zero, but much less than non-digitization.
7 · Teleworking
When possible, it avoids moving (and therefore polluting), saves time and allows better management of private life. It must be balanced with the socializing needs of employees, but it surely brings many benefits to personal life.
8 · Green financing
Companies and individuals that promote sustainability have access to green finance.
Green finance is any structured financial activity, a product or service that has been created to ensure a better environmental result. It includes a variety of loans, borrowing mechanisms and investments that are used to encourage the development of green projects or minimize the impact on the climate of more regular projects. Or a combination of both.
9 · Social Benefit. Social action.
Make your contribution to sustainability evident and participate in events or with entities of sustainable social action (plant a forest, collect waste from the beaches …)