On Wednesday, April 22, more than 192 countries across the globe will celebrate the 45th annual Earth Day, an event that promotes awareness and support of environmental protection.
As a business owner, you may have already taken steps to make your business more environmentally-friendly, like installing CFL or LED light bulbs, or setting up a recycling program, but did you know that your business could go even greener by extending sustainability to your payment processing?
In conjunction with Earth Day, we’ve got five helpful tips for how your business can make your payment processing methods more eco-friendly.
1. Switch to Digital Receipts
In the near future, printed receipts will be a thing of the past. In 2012, 35 percent of retailers offered digital receipts, and that percentage is expected to continue to grow with the advancement of digital and mobile payment solutions. Not only do paperless receipts help the environment, but they also save your business money and provide convenience for customers.
2. Protect Your Customers’ Data, Protect the Environment
Did you know that when your employees write down customers’ credit card numbers, you could be putting their data at risk? According to one study, out of the top 100 chain restaurants, 80% have at least one employee who writes down credit card numbers. Not only does this practice violate PCI guidelines and increase the chances of a data breach, but it’s also a waste of paper. Instead, employees should enter the data directly into your secure payment processing system. If you do end up with paper documents containing sensitive credit card information, be sure to shred and recycle them as soon as possible.
3. Integrate Tablets Into Your Business
By implementing cloud-based Tablet Solutions into your business, you can manage your business from anywhere, potentially minimizing extra trips to the office and reducing your gas usage. Additionally, with Tablet Solutions, you can avoid printing spreadsheets of financial summaries or inventory manifests.
4. If You Have to Print, Do it Smartly
Simply put, don’t print things that don’t need to be printed! According to Preton, the average employee prints six unnecessary pages per day. When you do need to print, however, use paper that has maximum recycled content to help reduce your business’s carbon footprint. If your printer has the capability to print double-sided, do so and instead of throwing away paper that’s been printed on one side, use it for scrap paper or for printing drafts.
5. Recycle responsibly
When your outdated processing equipment and terminals kick the bucket, don’t just throw them away—donate or sell them to an electronic recycling facility. These terminals contain data that can be breached if they’re not disposed of properly. Also, electronic equipment often contains materials that can become toxic when dumped in a landfill. These recycling facilities salvage the parts they can for resale and properly disassemble the others for safe disposal.
Implementing more environmentally sustainable practices in your business doesn’t have to happen all at once. Start by making small changes, and get your employees involved! A big part of making your business more eco-friendly has to do with creating a culture of sustainability, and sticking with it. And there’s no better time to start than Earth Day 2015!
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