{"id":494,"date":"2015-04-20T22:29:14","date_gmt":"2015-04-20T22:29:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.abtek.com\/blog\/?p=494"},"modified":"2015-04-20T22:29:14","modified_gmt":"2015-04-20T22:29:14","slug":"go-green-5-ways-to-make-your-payment-processing-methods-more-sustainable","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.abtek.com\/blog\/2015\/04\/go-green-5-ways-to-make-your-payment-processing-methods-more-sustainable\/","title":{"rendered":"Go Green! 5 Ways to Make Your Payment Processing Methods More Sustainable"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Wednesday, April 22, more than 192 countries across the globe will celebrate the 45th<\/sup> annual Earth Day, an event that promotes awareness and support of environmental protection.<\/p>\n

As a business owner, you may have already taken steps to make your business more environmentally-friendly, like installing CFL or LED light bulbs, or setting up a recycling program, but did you know that your business could go even greener by extending sustainability to your payment processing?<\/p>\n

In conjunction with Earth Day, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got five helpful tips for how your business can make your payment processing methods more eco-friendly.<\/p>\n

1. Switch to Digital Receipts<\/h3>\n

In the near future, printed receipts will be a thing of the past. In 2012, 35 percent of retailers<\/a> offered digital receipts, and that percentage is expected to continue to grow with the advancement of digital and mobile payment solutions<\/a>. Not only do paperless receipts help the environment, but they also save your business money and provide convenience for customers.<\/p>\n

\"ABT_Sustainability_TILES_1\"<\/a>2. Protect Your Customers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Data, Protect the Environment<\/h3>\n

Did you know that when your employees write down customers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 credit card numbers, you could be putting their data at risk<\/a>? According to one study, out of the top 100 chain restaurants, 80% have at least one employee who writes down credit card numbers<\/a>. Not only does this practice violate PCI guidelines and increase the chances of a data breach, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also a waste of paper. Instead, employees should enter the data directly into your secure payment processing system. If you do end up with paper documents containing sensitive credit card information, be sure to shred and recycle them as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

3. Integrate Tablets Into Your Business<\/h3>\n

By implementing cloud-based Tablet Solutions<\/a> into your business, you can manage your business from anywhere, potentially minimizing extra trips to the office and reducing your gas usage. Additionally, with Tablet Solutions, you can avoid printing spreadsheets of financial summaries or inventory manifests.<\/p>\n

\"ABT_Sustainability_TILES_2\"<\/a>4. If You Have to Print, Do it Smartly<\/h3>\n

Simply put, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t print things that don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t need to be printed! According to Preton<\/a>, the average employee prints six unnecessary pages per day. When you do need to print, however, use paper that has maximum recycled content to help reduce your business\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s carbon footprint. If your printer has the capability to print double-sided, do so and instead of throwing away paper that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s been printed on one side, use it for scrap paper or for printing drafts.<\/p>\n

5. Recycle responsibly<\/h3>\n

When your outdated processing equipment and terminals kick the bucket, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t just throw them away\u00e2\u20ac\u201ddonate or sell them to an electronic recycling facility. These terminals contain data that can be breached if they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not disposed of properly. Also, electronic equipment often contains materials that can become toxic when dumped in a landfill. These recycling facilities salvage the parts they can for resale and properly disassemble the others for safe disposal.<\/p>\n

Implementing more environmentally sustainable practices in your business doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to happen all at once. Start by making small changes, and get your employees involved! A big part of making your business more eco-friendly has to do with creating a culture of sustainability, and sticking with it. And there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s no better time to start than Earth Day 2015!<\/p>\n

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Stay updated on payment processing trends by following Abtek on Twitter<\/a> and Facebook<\/a>. Sign up<\/a> to receive our newsletter, too.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On Wednesday, April 22, more than 192 countries across the globe will celebrate the 45th annual Earth Day, an event that promotes awareness and support of environmental protection. As a business owner, you may have already taken steps to make your business more environmentally-friendly, like installing CFL or LED light bulbs, or setting up a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":495,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,4,35],"tags":[75,76,15,57],"class_list":["post-494","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-data-breach","category-merchant-service-providers","category-tips","tag-earth-day","tag-payment-processing","tag-pci-compliance-2","tag-small-business-management"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t