50% off + 3 tips businesses must know

For many business owners, your sole focus in these past few months and possibly in the months ahead will be on keeping your business alive and looking after your staff. For any that find themselves with the headspace to think beyond those immediate challenges…

…in the light of the impacts of coronavirus on business trading, until the end of September 2020 we are offering a 50% discount on certification. Email us and we’ll get you started.

If you’re not sure whether this is for you, here’s three things you should know.

1 Green business is the future.

For many years, with the odd exception, committedly green businesses have been on the fringes. But the business world is changing fast.

Apple became the biggest company in the world at the end of 2019 and have made huge commitments to sustainable operations – 100% renewable power, zero waste to landfill etc etc. We ought to be sceptical of many of their claims and commitments but the mere fact that they have made them is an indication of the change underway.

Consumer demands are shifting, supply chains are adapting, and those businesses that don’t follow suit will be left behind.

2 Being a green business is not straightforward.

There are obvious steps that most businesses can take to green their operations. I’m thinking lightbulbs, travel, paper etc. But so many environmental impacts and opportunities can be missed without a structured approach. Most businesses, for example, don’t think about the impacts of who they choose to bank with, who they buy their insurance from or who hosts their website.

Taking a structured approach not only ensures you consider all of your significant environmental impacts but, crucially, also allows you to demonstrate that you have done so to your clients and customers.

3 Measuring how green you are is probably a bad idea.

I sometimes get it into trouble for saying this and don’t get me wrong – bigger businesses should absolutely be measuring their carbon footprint and other aspects of their environmental performance.

For small businesses on the other hand, measurement can be so time-consuming and confusing that it results in environmental policies and plans being shelved. It’s also rarely necessary – in most small businesses, it’s easy to identify what action needs to be taken without any measuring of carbon emissions or anything else.

The Green Small Business approach is actions-focused. It’s light-touch and straightforward, whilst still enabling businesses to make meaningful progress in managing their environmental impacts.

Interested? Email us if you would like to take advantage of the 50% discount

Still not sure? Check out this article – How hard is it to be a Green Small Business?

Some feedback from our lovely clients

“Green Small Business has given us a clear and achievable plan on how to be more ‘green’. It is making us think more carefully about how we do things, and has given us a framework on how to make improvements. This will not only benefit the environment but also hopefully make the business more efficient and cost effective.” (Ed Pinto, Rubix Construction)

“I see this as a great first step for us, in baking sensible and meaningful environmental policy into the business. It also allows us to demonstrate to our clients, particularly our not-for-profit audience, that we do mean what we say. In turn, this is a win, win, win; good for us, good for the planet and good for the bottom line” (Tim De La Salle, Fly Marketing)

“The Green Small Business approach gives us a structure to work with and aim for, rather than feeling the task of being green feeling too big to achieve and beyond our finances. Our customers will appreciate the changes we are making by being able to show the certification and it will attract like minded collaborators into our business. It was a very straight forward process and we are so glad we invested in this.” (Joanne Whithers, St Marks Stays)

“It was great to get some affirmation for our efforts up to this point. What we found useful was the extra research that Green Small Business did for us and pointing us in the right direction. I feel if I need some advice in the future, I can get in touch with them and discuss.” (Zoe Arnold-Bennett, Shed 1 Gin)