Favour soft or shared mobility
It is indisputable, cars are very practical. However cars are also a particularly polluting means of transport, especially when you're alone. Whenever possible, opt for alternative means of transport to get to and from work, as well as for your various appointments throughout the day.
- Good for the planet, your health and your finances, cycling is increasingly popular, especially with the widespread adoption of electric bikes. Join the movement! And for shorter trips, don't forget that walking is undeniably the most environmentally friendly and cheapest means of transport.
- Since the majority of Switzerland is served by an efficient public transport system, why not make the most of it? Train, tram, bus, boat: anything goes to reduce your carbon footprint. And if the service isn't optimal in your area, consider carpooling! It's a great way to connect with colleagues, but also to meet new people, and maybe even future clients.
Key Figure
By driving 20 km by car, you emit roughly as much CO2 as by cycling 265 km1.
Insulate and ventilate, rather than heat and air condition
Today, most buildings are required to maintain a temperature of approximately 19 to 21°C, which is very reasonable.
- So, while it's tempting to manually turn up the heating in winter, putting on a jumper can save you unnecessary energy and money.
- Conversely, when the heat arrives, swap air conditioning for fresh, natural air. To ensure comfortable indoor temperatures, get into the habit of ventilating your home thoroughly during the cooler hours, morning and evening, and avoid letting hot air in during the day at all costs.
Key Figure
Heating is responsible for approximately 70% of building energy consumption2. With an additional degree of temperature increase, your heating costs can increase by 6 to 10%3.
Harvest solar energy
Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to be a homeowner to install a solar panel. Simplified, individual versions exist.
For a few hundred Swiss francs, you can purchase a photovoltaic kit, plug it into the mains and start generating solar electricity. Naturally, the connected appliances will consume the solar electricity before the building's own. An economical and ecological solution that will speak volumes about your commitment and your capacity for innovation!
Reduce the volume of your emails
Individually, sending an email consumes little energy. But since we send so many, this is a significant phenomenon. In addition to avoiding unnecessary emails, it's strongly recommended to reduce the size of the messages you send.
- Replace large attachments with sharing links. Online services, particularly those hosted in Switzerland, allow you to achieve this in just a few clicks.
- Only copy the people who are truly concerned by your message. Each copy consumes additional energy.
And don’t forget that email storage is also very energy-intensive. So remember to regularly sort archived messages. Deleting emails frees up servers from a significant amount of work and reduces the resulting gas emissions.
Use greener services
By incorporating environmental considerations into your criteria for choosing partners or service providers, you're taking an important step. Whenever possible, select local partners who are themselves committed to the environment.
Similarly, the selection of the tools or resources you use every day can make a difference. Today, many labels recognise more environmentally friendly products.
This also applies to digital tools. For example, there are committed search engines or cloud services that offset their CO2 emissions by funding ecological projects, such as planting trees.
Good to know
If you have any doubts about a label, don't hesitate to seek advice from a consumer association or the Federal Consumer Affairs Bureau (FCAB).
Promote biodiversity in green spaces
Are your premises located on a green space or do you have a garden? This may be an opportunity to contribute, even modestly, to preserving biodiversity.
- Planting a tree is a relatively easy and very effective action. In addition to capturing CO2, a tree provides food and even shelter for various animals and insects.
- For the more adventurous among you, why not install a beehive in your green space? Bees play an essential role in the pollination of plants and therefore their reproduction.
Preserving biodiversity is in your interest as a business because it helps sustain the production of natural resources, starting with raw materials, which are essential to many industrial activities.
Avoid wasting electricity
In your premises, opt for energy-efficient LED bulbs or fluorescent lights. And, just like at home, remember to turn off the lights when you leave a room and take full advantage of the natural lighting potential provided by your windows.
And while sleep mode is incredibly convenient, remember that it consumes energy! Whenever possible, completely turn off computers, monitors, printers and other electronic devices when not in use, starting at night, on weekends, or even during breaks.
To simplify, consider installing switched power strips. But don't forget to save your work on your computer!
Pool resources
Based on the principle that certain machines or resources are only used occasionally, it's a valid argument that owning everything individually isn't necessary for a business. Sharing and pooling should be at the heart of the thinking. Between businesses, we can imagine exchanges, loans, or even shared ownership.
Beyond an economic calculation that demonstrates the financial gain for all participating companies, it's also an important ecological move.
Think about it! This principle can apply to all forms of resources: a van, a printer, a subscription, a computer licence, or even a conference room or offices.
Bonus: measure your carbon footprint
Whatever you implement, remember to measure your efforts and their impact on your carbon footprint. This is useful for maintaining motivation to make daily efforts and essential for obtaining certification or a label validating your approach. Because being able to boast a CSR policy is a serious selling point, particularly during calls for tenders issued by local authorities.
Consult online services to get an idea and contact experts to arrange certification.
Good to know
There are several sources of support for climate-active companies, including the Technology Fund, which can guarantee loans to companies whose products have a positive impact on the environment.
1. Source: Cantonal Energy and Environment Services, energie-environnement.ch, consulted on 06.05.2025. 2. Source: Swiss Federal Office of Energy SFOE: Building stock 2050 – SFOE vision (downloaded from bfe.admin.ch, 06.05.2025). 3. Source: ge.ch, consulted on 23.04.2025.