Top tips to make your business sustainable in 2025

Did you know that making your business more sustainable can help the environment? It can also reduce waste, lower your operating costs and carbon footprint. Read on for top energy, waste, and water tips to make your business more sustainable in 2025 and save on bills.

1. Understand your energy consumption with the energy calculator

Knowing what is contributing to your bill is the first step lowering your energy costs. Compare your energy usage to your industry's average using the Brisbane Sustainability Agency energy calculator. 

The calculator offers helpful tips and advice. It shows you how to make free changes or smart investments. These can help you reduce energy use and lower your bills.

2. Start a recycling program in your workplace

Paper, bottles, and boxes fill general waste bins quickly and service costs can be a significant business outlay. Implementing a recycling program in your workplace can improve your sustainability, redirect waste from landfill, and lower your costs.

Start with recycling cardboard, paper, glass, aluminium, and plastic. You can recycle small glass and plastic bottles through container exchange programs to raise funds for your business or charity. Programs like Recan (for businesses) and Returnit (for community groups) simplify this process. They handle the collection of your containers and refunds.

You can save on bills by selling or giving away your unwanted items. ASPIRE is an online marketplace for Brisbane businesses that helps you sell, exchange, and trade waste materials. An ASPIRE registration is free for businesses of up to 100 employees within the Brisbane Local Government Area. Larger businesses are eligible for a discount.

Inform your team about your actions and the reasons behind them. Keep educating your staff throughout your recycling journey. Use our ready-made signage to inform your employees about what they can recycle. Place recycling bins in common areas as this will encourage people to recycle more and make the process easier.

3. Make smart investments by installing water-saving nozzles

Water usage can be reduced significantly just by installing the right type of nozzle. Nozzles don't just reduce the amount of water that flow through your tap, they can also distribute the water wider or increase the pressure.

Low-flow taps for hand basins are effective in saving water by mixing air into the water flow. Install low-flow taps or aerators to cut water use. They can reduce flow from 15-18 litres per minute to just 2 litres per minute.

For hospitality businesses, kitchen chisel spray nozzles are effective water savers potentially reducing your water usage by 70%. The nozzles use a strong spray designed to remove stains and food scraps, allowing you to use the tap for less time.

For more sustainable business tips that can also help you save on bills, visit Brisbane's Sustainable Business Hub.