Environmental Sustainability for Your Business – the Why and the How

Environmental sustainability has been in the headlines for a while now, but is it really something you need to focus on when you have so many other things to think about?

Back in January we shared a post about Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR: 4 Ways it Benefits Your Business to Help Others); in it we discussed the four pillars of CSR including environmental sustainability. In this post, we’re going to spend some time looking at why these green concerns in particular are so important, and what you can do to improve your business’ environmental credentials.

Is Environmental Sustainability Sustainable for Your Business?

When we talk about environmental sustainability, we’re talking about how we can protect the environment in everything we do; considering the management of our business while understanding how our actions affect the planet and our future.

We know that balancing environmental concerns alongside the needs of your growing business is hard, but it can be done.

Why is environmental sustainability important?

Whether you’re watching temperatures rising, seas filling with plastic or countries flooding, environmental scientists have given us numerous reasons why sustainable strategies are important to protect the future of our planet.

These conclusions have influenced:

• The government to make a commitment to ensure the UK is carbon neutral by 2050.
• Your customers and employees to consider a company’s green policies when making decisions.

You may be looking for government support through grants or funding – or doing business with companies who are – and needing to prove your credentials, or maybe you want to stand out in a crowded market while doing something positive for the environment. Whatever your current position, your sustainability credentials are important.

 What are the benefits to your business?

We talked about some of these in the previous CSR post but it’s worth reminding ourselves, while our focus is on the environment, we know your business needs to see positive results from this work or it won’t last. So how can green practices support your business?

• Cost saving – one of the strongest messages of environmental sustainability is to reduce consumption and using less will save you money. Whether it’s energy consumption, materials, or consumables, encouraging everyone in your organisation to think twice about what they use can make an immediate difference.
• Customer and employee engagement – as mentioned previously, people are increasingly educated about and invested in environmental concerns. Prioritising sustainable strategies and promoting these green practices can bring the right people to you.
• Future proofing – government legislation has set strict targets for big businesses on emissions and waste. Even if your company does not currently sit in the band affected by these rules, if you supply or support a company who does, these regulations could affect you. And although you may not currently be required to fulfil these criteria by law, looking ahead legislation is likely to extend further.

 How can you get started?

Making changes to embed green practices into your organisation doesn’t need to be costly, in fact it could save you money. Start with low, or no, cost changes – even small steps at a time can make a difference and ensure you’re moving in the right direction.

The 3 R’s of environment sustainability are a good place to start for any business: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.

 Reduce Consumption

Reduce your energy usage by turning things off when they’re not in use, as well as ensuring your machinery and fittings are energy efficient.

Reduce fuel usage by reviewing the necessity of travel, sharing vehicles, or using public transport.

Reduce waste, review your use of consumables and whether processes can be changed to lessen the load – does your document have to be printed? Can your pen be refilled? Can the printer be mended instead of replaced?

Reducing your consumption – as well as providing environmental benefits – will also provide cost benefits to your company; cutting fuel and energy costs brings huge advantage and reducing waste will also save waste management outlays.

Reuse

There are many opportunities for reuse that won’t cost you money, whether it’s refilling printer cartridges, using glasses and mugs instead of disposable cups, or donating used equipment to charities and other organisations.

Some areas of reuse might take more investment such as using greywater recycling for your toilets or working with other organisations to take their waste products within your manufacturing processes.

Huge strides in innovation are now bringing us clothing, accessories and even building materials made from waste plastic. Capturing energy generated from manufacturing processes to heat buildings may be a big investment but will likely reduce costs going forward. This kind of development may be a way down the line for many of us, but these advances are increasing our opportunities all the time.

 Recycling

Have you explored the recycling services available to you locally, enabling your people to recycle as simply and effectively as possible? Providing easy recycling opportunities for everyone within your business is the first step but try and think about more than just used paper and empty bottles.

When equipment or machinery has reached the end of its life, research your options – could it be recycled? There are programs which might take your recyclable materials and reuse them – paying you for a resource you would have just thrown away.

 Sustainable strategies can be simple

Pick one thing, communicate your plan and try it out – encourage the engagement of your team. Make small steps and review the changes including any concerns arising, these small steps will make further improvements possible until big improvements can be made.

 Is there help?

There are many organisations working with businesses to develop green practices, locally I’ve been working with SEMLEP (South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership) who support local businesses with support for setting up environmental sustainability strategies and green practices.

There are often grants and funding opportunities available to organisations investing in sustainable strategies and solutions – such as solar panels and biomass energy. These incentives will depend on the size of your organisation, your industry and geographical area. Accountants are often a great source of help when it comes to looking for investment opportunities for your business, I received help from Kim Parry of CFW Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers when writing this post.

Creating and strengthening your business you’ll need the right people to support you – whether that’s knowledgeable accountants like Kim or collaborative partnerships to work with. We help our members build their network effectively, you might like to have a look at our networking groups to find your new team.