Become a completely remote company, requiring no office space or regular transportation to/from work
Upgrade from older fluorescent T12, T8 and T5 lamps to LED alternatives
Rent or purchase a building that is close to public transportation stops and bike paths
Implement a green procurement policy
50-74% of your workdays are remote
Implement a comprehensive recycling program including education, proper sinage, and monitoring
Install faucets with controls that turn off automatically (motion sensors)
Implement a sustainability process and standard for all meetings, conferences, and events
Optimize your on-premise servers and business systems by ensuring the hardware is up-to-date and energy efficient
Create a fund/scholarship for local youth to pursue higher education
Create a pathway program for local youths to intern and eventually become employed at your company
Create an executive leadership team with women, minorities, and people from underrepresented communities in top leadership roles
Eliminate all single-use paper, styrofoam or plastic cups, plates, and utensils in the kitchen area. Use reusable mugs, dishes, and silverware instead
Schedule regular maintenance on company vehicles to ensure each vehicle is operating as efficiently as possible to reduce emissions
Perform a yearly assessment of all suppliers/vendors’ environmental and social practices in comparison to your company’s commitments
Provide a product or service, as part of your company’s core strategy, that delivers a social or environmental benefit and/or focuses on an underserved part of the community.
Provide a benefits package that meets the needs of employees, and is well-defined, accessible and transparent to all workers
Provide a living wage for all employees, at all levels of the organization including both full time and part time workers
Use chlorine-free and FSC-certified paper products
Arrange the workspace to take advantage of areas with natural sunlight
Purchase or lease used or recycled office equipment and furniture
Philanthropically donate a percentage of your revenue or profits and/or company time to an environmental cause
Reserve at least one day a year when your company volunteers for local environmental or community projects (e.g., Habitat for Humanity, Earth Day, Save a Tree)
Purchase ENERGY STAR qualified or similarly highly efficient appliances
Develop an office thermostat policy that maintains internal air temperature within the recommended temperature range, and eliminates A/C and heating usage when the building is not occupied
Provide equitable opportunities to ensure women have equal access to employment, leadership roles, and pay
Institute a policy for providing training, certification, and professional development opportunities to employees
Adhere to labor, child labor, forced labor, and reasonable working hour laws and practices
Properly dispose of all hazardous waste materials including batteries, paint and chemicals, lightbulbs, aerosol cans, and electronics
Work with a food recovery service to donate surplus meals, stock and other edible food items to reduce waste.
Install a filtered water tap or water bottle refill station that provide high-quality drinking water
Become an annual sponsor, making a substantial contribution to a meaningful event promoting sustainability in your area
Significantly limit the amount of physical marketing materials you produce
Use environmentally-friendly, non-toxic, bio-based cleaning products
Replace regular light bulbs with LED bulbs
Establish a paperless billing program for your customers
Have accessible green space somewhere onsite or in close proximity to grounds
Regularly evaluate employee satisfaction through interviews, surveys, or calculation of employee net promoter score
Choose paperless billing with vendors, business partners, and suppliers when possible
Eliminate unnecessary paper usage as much as possible including forms, contracts, meeting agendas and materials, proofs, and drafts
Conduct exit interviews to gain insights on company culture and operations and make improvements based on feedback
Give opportunity for all employees to provide feedback of any kind and feel secure and empowered to do so
Place a company employee on the organizing committee for a sustainability event
Become an active member, either by serving on the board, donating or volunteering time for an organization that continually works to improve the environment
Recycle or sell your used toner cartridges
Purchase recycled or remanufactured toner cartridges
Reduce junk mail by removing your organization’s name from national direct marketing databases
Use reusable cleaning products such as towels and sponges, eliminating paper towels
Print and copy double-sided only
Choose bio-based, reused, recycled, recyclable, or FSC certified boxes and bags for shipping
Reuse, sell, or donate used or unneeded furniture, equipment, and office supplies
Use virtual meeting platforms to replace travel when possible
Communicate your social responsibility initiatives with customers and other stakeholders in a way that clearly defines your company values, policies, objectives and actual performance
Add shades/window covering to reduce heat gain
Provide regular formal review, linked to a comprehensive development plan, with clear and constructive feedback to all employees
Provide a trusted, impartial and empowered 3rd party for the remediation of significant conflicts arising between employees and the business/business leaders
Uphold your company’s responsibility to shareholders through shareholder meetings
Conduct regular cyber/data security checks
Accept and evaluate employee’s feedback about violations of your corporate ethics and conduct policy
Create and implement an employee code of conduct
Train employees on your cyber/data security policies and what to do in case of a potential breach
Purchase trash liners made from 50-100% recycled materials
Assist at least one other business in learning about sustainability, social responsibility, and environmental business efforts and encourage them to join GBB
Commit to inviting, receiving and acting upon customer and community feedback in a welcoming and constructive way at all times.
Implement a conflict of interest policy for your board of directors and senior management
Organize a sustainability committee to lead your organization’s sustainability program
Complete the GBB getting started steps
Develop a sustainability mission statement for your business and define your company’s core commitments
Populate your company’s sustainability accomplishments in your profile
Announce your commitment to GBB to all employees
Use natural odor elimination
Relax the office dress code to allow for attire that doesn’t require dry cleaning