Companies can lower their environmental impact by using more sustainable office equipment including printers, office chairs, computer screens and so on. Using sustainability criteria, such as the appliance's energy use and how easy or hard it is to recycle or reuse parts of the product, you can study the advantages of replacing current office equipment with more environmentally friendly alternatives. These products may cost more to purchase but are cheaper in the long run due to their longer lifespan or reduced energy use.

Other benefits of environmentally friendly appliances include:

• Lower production costs (less material or energy use, less waste generation)
• Longer life cycles (need to replace less often)
• Sales or marketing value-added of using greener equipment

Indeed, consumers are increasingly aware of the environmental impact of products, and may base their purchasing decisions on the clean/green credentials of companies making them. Product labels such as the EU Ecolabel and the EnergyStar have made it easier to see which businesses are sustainable. As an SME you can apply for financial support from third-party programmes, such as CIRAS, and display the results achieved or the label with your product as a marketing tool.