Member Article

Make your business leaner and greener

By Rachel Moss of Business Link

A new year, a new way to look at running your company. Being eco-aware does not just mean doing your bit to save the planet, it can also convert into real business benefits. Far from being a passing fad, corporate and social responsibility (CSR) is making a real connection with customers who are increasingly looking to find the greenest products available on the market.

The most common demands are for ethically traded or locally sourced goods with minimal packaging, but there are many other ways to demonstrate that your company is taking environmental issues seriously.

Business Link has launched a dedicated online resource to help businesses, whatever the size, gain bottom line benefits by going green. The ‘Environment and Efficiency’ section of www.businesslinknortheast.co.uk contains advice on reducing waste, marketing green credentials and understanding your legal obligations.

This last point is vitally important. Environmental legislation covers issues such as air emissions, waste responsibility, management of harmful substances and pollution prevention. If any of these sound like business concerns for you, failure to comply could have serious consequences. Business Link offers an email alert service to keep you one step ahead and fully informed on environmental requirements.

A CSR policy can also be a used as a motivating factor for employees. The sense of inclusion initiatives such as recycling plans and volunteer days for local charities can be real morale boosters for your team, and a good way to retain personnel over the years.

For most small and medium sized businesses of course, the most important factor is how an effective CSR policy can affect your bottom line. In terms of marketing your business, going green can be an excellent profile raising exercise and could create positive PR. However, as this becomes a more mainstream business practice, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has recently warned that care must be taken when marketing green credentials.

In terms of tangible month-on-month financial rewards, creating your own CSR policy draws attention to where resources are being used, and often wasted, in your business. It’s estimated that it’s possible to for most businesses to save between 10 and 20% on their energy bills at little or no cost.

Business Link’s substantial team of expert brokers operate across the region in local access points and on a mobile basis. For further information about Business Link visit www.businesslinknortheast.co.uk or call 0845 600 9 006.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .