What you need to know

If sustainability has taken a back seat within your facility operations, now is the time to prioritize more eco-friendly practices. Today, over 90%
of CEOs acknowledge that sustainability is fundamental to long-term success.1 That statistic serves as a rude awakening to facility professionals who haven’t yet considered the benefits of green practices. In fact, facilities management is the second-worst industry when it comes to negatively affecting the environment.2 With more and more talent and tenants preferring green buildings, facilities will need to pick up the pace to satisfy increasing sustainability demands.

This guide covers common mistakes operations make (both in overall eco-friendly strategy and more granular tactics), the consequences that can follow—and corresponding solutions that can lead your facility operation’s green program to success. Keep reading to see if your facilities are committing any of these environmental oversights.

Bad strategy

Mistakes in overall vision for sustainability can put your facility at a significant disadvantage when it comes to overall success. This section covers several consequences of subpar environmental strategies and the solutions that can put your facilities on a more sustainable path.

Avoiding the transition to more eco-friendly operations may sustain your facility in the short-term, but the long-term effects may be detrimental to the success of your building and satisfaction of your occupants. Even if delaying a transition to more sustainable operations hasn’t cost you yet, your facility could begin to experience the repercussions in the near future. Ignoring the rapidly developing sustainability industry and increasing environmental regulations poses risks: local and state fines, poor facility image, unsatisfied occupants, and more.

Choosing to pursue more sustainable operations doesn’t have to mean an immediate, dramatic overhaul. Taking small steps, like implementing a recycling program or switching to eco-friendly cleaning materials, can lead to big improvements down the road.

• Ignoring sustainability overall
• No benchmarking
• Lack of team and occupant communication
• A short term sustainability vision

Worst practices

Unsustainable practices, like leaving lights on in an empty warehouse or using toxic chemicals to clean surfaces, can add up. This section covers the granular, day-to-day environmental mistakes your facility operations team could be making, and what steps you can take toward more sustainable operations.

• Toxic cleaning
• Poor energy conservation
• Water waste
• No laundry system for reusable products
• Waste-to-landfill
• Poor stormwater management

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