RSS feedsGoing green is in. We’re all at it at home, trying to recycle our waste, reuse our carrier bags and switch off the standby button. Or we should be, anyway.
But what happens when we get to work? Are our efforts at sustainability following through into the workplace? If not, small businesses could be missing out on an environmental windfall, which will benefit them while also helping the environment.
Perhaps more importantly, as the costs of running conventionally constructed buildings will increase significantly over the next 20 years, small businesses that don’t start to change their business practices to become more efficient and sustainable now are exposing themselves to long term and potentially prohibitive energy cost pressures.
Let’s face it, until now, there’s been a tendency for small businesses to regard ‘going green’ as a luxury something they don’t have time for and probably can’t afford. In fact, the opposite is true. To quote Terry Leahy, CEO of Tesco: ‘You can be green and grow. If you look into the future you may have to be green in order to grow.’
Tesco is just one of the many household name companies embracing green policies and, even if we’re cynical about some of their motives and actual delivery, there’s no doubt they are taking the issue seriously and with good reason. Small businesses would do well to follow their lead.
Energy costs have increased by 700% over the last ten years and are likely to increase by a further 400% over the next five years. Water costs are also increasing significantly and will rise even faster. Disposing of business waste also costs hard cash anything up to 4% of turnover already, according to sustainable business experts Envirowise. Reasons enough for most businesses to examine their cost control.
Small businesses, of course, don’t always have the flexibility of a large company to manage their business premises but, even taking this into account, there are still things that they can all do a few simple measures, which could make a vital difference to the business long term.
So, for a start, the introduction of green measures will obviously help businesses control their costs by enabling them to reduce energy and water bills while better resource management and tight waste reduction policies will also ensure that the operation is running in a more eco-friendly and more profitable way.
The benefits of adopting green measures aren’t limited to cost control. Taking steps in this direction can also be a powerful marketing tool - a vehicle to boost the reputation of the business both internally and externally. After all, most people are convinced by the climate change argument and are keen to do their bit. It’s affecting the way they behave and the purchasing choices they make.
A recent survey from the Co-operative Bank put the market for green goods and services at £29bn and rising. So, businesses that take steps to operate in a greener way are providing themselves with an important differentiator in the market place.
So, what steps can small businesses take to get started? The good news is that there’s a great deal of help available from the government and a range of other business and environmental organisations, such as The Carbon Trust and Envirowise. Much of the advice is free and grants or subsidies are available for some of the more significant initiatives businesses can take.
Checklist
• Reduce the temperature in the building by one degree. This could cut heating bills by as much as 10%.
• Check insulation is effective, particularly around windows, chimneys and fire places, which are huge sources of heat loss.
• Turn off or reduce heating outside working hours and in areas that need less, such as store rooms.
• Air conditioning can double energy bills. Set the lower temperature to 24oC or higher.
• Leaving a photocopier on overnight uses enough energy to print more than 5,000 copies of A4 so switch off lights, IT equipment and mobile phone chargers when not being used.
• Maximise natural lighting by ensuring windows are clean and window sills uncluttered.
Nick Woolley RICS is the founder of Woolley & Company and a sustainable building expert
