10 steps to creating a culture of sustainability in the workplace

Sustainability in the workplace has become essential for business success in 2025, no longer just an optional extra. Today's customers evaluate companies not only on their products but also on their impact on the community and environment. With 97% of Australia's top companies now providing sustainability reporting and mandatory climate disclosure requirements taking effect, environmental responsibility has moved from aspiration to business imperative.

Businesses are realising the substantial benefits of adopting sustainable practices, including reduced operational costs, increased productivity, improved staff retention, better employee wellbeing, and enhanced brand reputation. Research by SAP reveals that 86% of Australian business leaders now see a positive connection between environmental action and profitability, demonstrating that sustainability drives competitive advantage.

However, adopting a sustainable business model presents challenges. According to Bain & Company, whilst 93% of surveyed companies wanted to be sustainable and believed sustainability was essential to future success, only 2% achieved their sustainability goals.

One of the primary reasons why sustainability initiatives fail is due to cultural change issues. So, how do you implement lasting, sustainable initiatives in the workplace?

Sustainability in the Workplace

Corporate sustainability focuses on managing the triple bottom line, encompassing financial, social, and environmental impacts. It goes beyond profit considerations in business decisions to include issues affecting people in the community and the planet as a whole.

Your individual business circumstances, goals, and challenges, along with your people, processes, leadership, and operational structures, will influence the sustainable business practices you adopt. That's why everyone needs to be involved in the process. People in your company need to understand what sustainability means for your business, define the goals to move forward, and determine their role in achieving these goals.

Therefore, it starts with creating a culture of sustainability in the workplace.

How to Create a Culture of Sustainability

Building a culture of sustainability involves everyone, from executive leaders and management to support staff, frontline employees, and administrative personnel.

Here are ten steps you can take to start transforming your company into a more sustainable business.

1. Define Your Sustainability Workplace Goals

What do you want to achieve as a business? How can you strike a balance between profitability and the concerns of the community and environment?

Start by facilitating company-wide dialogues to define what sustainability means to the business. Consider establishing a sustainability council that represents every department. The purpose is to define your goals and create a sustainability programme that can be easily implemented across the business. With the Australian Sustainability Reporting Standards (ASRS) now in effect for Group 1 entities, clear sustainability goals have become both a strategic and compliance necessity.

2. Conduct an Audit of Your Current Workplace

It's essential to understand how your current work environment affects your sustainability programme. Conduct an audit to identify inefficiencies and establish a baseline for improvement. The audit can also help you reduce waste, minimise unnecessary expenses, and improve workflows and processes.

3. Update Machines and Devices

When conducting an audit, include all the devices around your office, such as office printers and multifunction devices, computers, monitors, and mobile devices. By identifying which devices need upgrading or updating, you can benefit from the latest software and energy-saving features. Modern devices with long-life eco-friendly technology can significantly reduce your environmental footprint whilst lowering operational costs.

4. Move Towards a Paperless Office

Go digital and implement a paperless office strategy. In today's increasingly digital workplace, many organisations are reducing their reliance on paper and print media. Moving to a paperless office may take time, commitment, and resources to implement, but it will help make your processes more efficient and create a more eco-friendly workplace. Document management solutions can streamline your transition whilst maintaining security and accessibility.

5. Use Sustainable Office Supplies

When purchasing paper, printer toner, and other office supplies, evaluate the actual products and suppliers carefully.

• How and where are they made?
• How are they packaged?
• Do the suppliers or providers implement sustainable practices?

By choosing sustainable office supplies and purchasing from companies that invest in recyclable or recycled materials, you can reduce your environmental impact and demonstrate to your staff, customers, and visitors that you run an environmentally responsible business.

Leading organisations are setting ambitious environmental targets. For instance, Kyocera has committed to achieving RE60 by 2031 (60% renewable energy) and a 46% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 2020 levels, demonstrating the scale of commitment needed for meaningful environmental progress.

6. Turn the Office Green

Create a 'green' workplace—literally. Bring in indoor plants and place them throughout the office. Plants have been proven to create a positive, calm, and relaxing atmosphere, potentially resulting in staff being happier and more productive at work.

Consider sustainable office designs when redesigning or refurbishing your existing workplace, moving to new premises, or optimising your hybrid work environment.

7. Encourage Recycling

You probably already have paper recycling bins in the office. Have you implemented a comprehensive corporate recycling programme that addresses all the waste your office generates? From print cartridges and e-waste to coffee capsules and packaging materials, numerous free programmes help you recycle a wide range of products. The key is to start small, conduct a waste audit, and get your staff on board. Recycling programmes should be convenient and clearly communicated to ensure high participation rates.

8. Establish Sustainability Guidelines and Policies

Your sustainability efforts won't succeed without the support and participation of everyone in the company. Document all your sustainability guidelines and policies and communicate them effectively to all employees. Your guidelines should include your rules and procedures, as well as everyone's roles and responsibilities in your sustainability programme.

To encourage adoption and incentivise environmentally friendly behaviours, consider implementing recognition programmes such as quarterly sustainability champion awards or team-based sustainability challenges.

9. Implement Sustainable Practices in the Office

Your sustainability guidelines should detail the eco-friendly practices that can be implemented around the workplace.

Here are several things you can start with:

• Setting printers and monitors to sleep mode
• Turning machines and devices off at night
• Using energy-efficient lighting
• Adjusting thermostats for optimal cooling and heating
• Implementing print management solutions to monitor and reduce printing waste
• Utilising cloud-based document management to minimise paper usage

Organisations can leverage comprehensive sustainability solutions that integrate hardware, software, and services to create measurably more sustainable operations. From energy-efficient devices to intelligent workflow automation, the right technology infrastructure supports environmental goals whilst enhancing productivity.

10. Track and Report on Your Progress

You need to track and report on your progress to management, staff, and stakeholders. Regularly audit your work environment to check what's working and what's not. This will help you continually improve your sustainability programme.

With consumer awareness at an all-time high—38% of Australian consumers consistently factor environmental impact into their purchasing decisions—transparent reporting on sustainability performance has become a significant competitive differentiator.

Remember, becoming a sustainable business requires the support and participation of everyone in the organisation. Start with these ten steps to create a culture of sustainability in the workplace.

The Future of Workplace Sustainability

Sustainability will be an essential measure of success for businesses moving forward. With the introduction of mandatory climate disclosure requirements and growing stakeholder expectations, organisations must develop robust sustainability strategies that deliver measurable results.

Kyocera's comprehensive approach to sustainability demonstrates how businesses can align environmental responsibility with operational excellence. By combining managed print services, process automation, and sustainable technology solutions, organisations can reduce their environmental impact whilst improving efficiency and reducing costs.

Download our Sustainable Office Guide to learn how to improve your environmental impact whilst reducing business costs and boosting efficiency.

Sustainability will be an essential measure of success for workplaces of the future. Download our Sustainable Office Guide to learn how to improve your environmental impact, while also reducing business costs and boosting efficiency.