Z4B Blog | 7 Apps to Make your Business Greener - The Alternative to Car Hire

Our smartphones are now our right-hand man, an ever-present assistant we use to schedule meetings, share files and keep up to date with to-do lists. But have you thought about how you can use them to make your business greener? Here are some eco-friendly apps and tools that can keep your business lean and green.

Standing for ‘connecting-good’, this app aims to promote local, ethical businesses, such as restaurants, supermarkets and small stores, by suggesting companies that match your values. Whether you’re taking a client for lunch or searching for office stationery, Co-Go makes it easier to put your hand in your pocket to those businesses doing their part for the environment.

Does your weekly screen time report send shivers down your spine? Spending so much time on various apps and tasks can leave our attention spans in tatters. Forest is about re-balancing this and trying to achieve a degree of focus. Set how long you need to remain focused for, and the app will mute all notifications until the time is up - all the while a tree will grow and unfurl on screen. Should you leave the app or start scrolling then the tree will stop growing and die. Not strictly sustainable, but the developers have a collaboration with the charity Trees for the Future, who plant trees in the real world.

Chances are your default browser is already set to the world’s favourite search engine, but it might not be the most eco-friendly one. Ecosia’s business model rewards the planet while you browse. The platform’s servers run on 100% renewable energy with each search removing 1kg of carbon dioxide from the planet’s atmosphere. Meanwhile, as you keep searching, the majority of the tech company’s profits go towards planting trees in nature-impoverished areas.

Oroeco is an app that is designed to analyse and influence both your personal and business spending habits to help you consume less. Using data from your purchases, it estimates your carbon footprint and will then let you know just how clean your life and business really are. Knowledge is the power to change, after all.

The workplace chat app has revolutionised the way in which people work remotely. Without compromising on your productivity, Slack allows employees to interact within specific channels or directly to one another either on desktop or phone. And if you end up more productive at home than in the office then everyone's a winner, especially at this time given the Government's guidelines.

It seems like we’re spending our lives on Zoom at the moment, but if you’ve not tried it out, it is a web app used to set up and host virtual video meetings with your team, clients or suppliers. Its reliable, easy to use and best of all there are free versions available. Current situation aside, not only will Zoom cut those hours spent travelling to and from meetings allowing you to do something far more productive (or a longer lunch break), it will also bring down those all-important emissions.

And it goes without saying using Zipcar will help you and your business be more sustainable, too. Our mission is to enable simple and responsible urban living – which means we’re working with you, our members, to create greener, cleaner cities. For example, did you know that for every Zipcar it takes 13 personally owned cars off the road? And we can get you from A to B and back again in our electric cars, meaning we can provide some of the cleanest and most environmentally-friendly transport in town.

Why Zipcar for Business?

Save money

Get up to 29% off standard rates. Everything’s included – Congestion Charge, fuel, insurance, maintenance… and we’re ULEZ compliant.

Drive on-demand

Book instantly and drive by the minute, hour or day, 24/7. Choose from thousands of cars, vans, and luxury vehicles.

Flexibility

Using Zipcar means you can scale your fleet to suit your changing business needs. It’s easier and cheaper than having your own vehicles.

Account Management

You’re in good hands. We’ll help you make the most of the service as well as take the hassle away on everything from booking to billing.

Join now

Sign up to Zipcar for Business

Fill out your details below and one of our friendly business team will be in touch to see how we can help your business.

First Name

Last Name

Phone

Company Name

Industry

Where will you drive?

Anything you want to ask us?

Download the Zipcar App

Book and unlock with your phone

Download Now