Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1517668
22 PCB007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2024 • Switch to eco-friendly water and coffee cups. Most offices and breakrooms have water filtration systems or coffee mak- ers stocked with single-use plastic or Sty- rofoam cups. Consider swapping them for cups made of recyclable materials. Also, encourage reusable water bottles and thermoses. Adding in just a couple of these actions will increase employee satisfaction and may help the mental well-being of your employees. In fact, in the Bupa study 2 , 68% of Gen Zers are anxious about environmental issues compared to 63% of millenials, 62% of Gen X, and 65% of baby boomers. is study found that mental health costs for UK businesses are €45 billion a year. Imagine what we could do for our employees by participating in the environmental revolution. To recruit and retain an environmentally con- scious generation, companies must take envi- ronmental sustainability seriously. Showing employees you care enough about them that you're willing to instill practices that benefit the communities around you is an act of showing them how much you care. Who wants to live and work in a place where the water is not drinkable and environmental resources are limited? It's time for businesses to take ownership of their consumption and make changes to maintain the resources we currently use for future gen- erations. e sustainability of our businesses and industry is dependent on the sustainability actions we take for the planet. PCB007 References 1. "The State of Consumer Spending: Gen Z Shop- pers Demand Sustainable Retail," First Insight. 2. "Gen Z seek ethical workplaces as environmen- tal health burden bites," Bupa, Jan. 13, 2022. Paige Fiet is a process engineer at TTM-Logan, and in the IPC Emerging Engineer Program. To read past columns, click here. millions of Gen Z (and Generation Alpha) fol- lowers. Videos with creators using eco-friendly products, recycled materials, and vegan clothes are trending daily. "Going Green" is the new cool for this generation. So, where do employers start to attract these eco-friendly leaders? In short, by becom- ing eco-friendly leaders themselves. More and more young professionals are looking for busi- nesses to take on the responsibility for their environmental impact. Gen Z is looking for future employers to make sustainability part of their brand by creating open and honest lines of communication on efforts they are making to prioritize environmental initiatives. How- ever, business beware, Gen Zers are known to quickly "cancel" a brand or company they believe is "greenwashing"—pretending to be environmentally conscious. Beyond taking action to reduce their carbon footprint and recycling, here are some ideas to promote sustainability inside and outside of the office. • Host community clean-up days. By organizing and encouraging volunteer groups to aid in a community clean-up day, companies are showing their care for the community that supports them. In addi- tion, employees are given a sense of pride by keeping the community they live in happy, healthy, and clean. • Encourage alternate modes of transporta- tion. Are employees able to bike between buildings instead of driving? Can they work from home one to two days a week? Are there walking options for them on their way to/from work? Reducing the amount of driving time reduces your employees' car- bon footprints; the more people involved, the greater the impact. • Consider adding recycling bins around the office. Are your employees using a lot of paper, cardboard, or even batteries? Maybe consider adding a handful of recy- cling bins around the office to reduce waste.