Green Small BusinessFor 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, […]
B Corp environmental requirements are driving more and more businesses to seek Green Small Business certification. More and more of our clients are using Green Small Business as a way of meeting the environmental issues raised in their B Impact Assessments. This short article provides a brief overview of what B Corp is all about […]
Green Small Business was established to enable all businesses to think about their environmental impacts, take steps to address them and maximise the business benefits from doing so. Lots of businesses have now benefited from getting Green Small Business certified but plenty more have thought about doing so and not taken it any further. We […]
Implementing ISO 14001 Already fed up with ISO 14001 or convinced it’s not for you? Skip the article and go straight to downloading our free guide to the alternative approach! Otherwise, read on… ISO 14001 is the international standard for environmental management systems. Many small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) are certified to the ISO 14001 standard. The […]
Sustainable packaging is increasingly being demanded by customers. Making sense of the sustainability claims can be challenging to say the least – compostable, biodegradable, eco-certified, plastic-free etc. With Coniston Stonecraft it’s simple. Every order is shipped with a postcard containing the following explanation of their packaging: “For packaging we use recycled cardboard from a friendly local bike […]
The Green Small Business process really helped me concentrate my mind on the essentials of documenting all the thoughts and processes that we currently do or would like to do in three clear documents. It made the whole thing much more straightforward than the big company options. It’s also good to have a third party […]
Ventorq are as clear an example as you will find of the way in which the world of business is changing. In two ways: Firstly, in terms of what they do. As an Ecommerce consultancy, they help their clients, from brewers to fashion houses, to thrive in the world of online business. They provide support and […]
If you’ve seen Netflix’s Rotten or the wonderful Tony, you will know that there’s a big problem with the cocoa industry. Frankly Delicious are doing their best to be part of the solution. Sourcing certified organic and fully traceable cocoa beans from farmers and suppliers who are paid a fair wage (see more details here) is just one aspect of their […]
Rothay Manor is an idyllic and luxurious hotel providing high class, relaxed country manor stays, nestled in the beautiful hills of the English Lake District. Co-owners Jamie and Jenna are keen to build an environmentally aware and active company while still providing a luxury offer. The hotel is aiming to be as green as possible, […]
Land and Sky media, a family-run, innovative and extremely successful production company are committed to low impact practice and align themselves with companies and organisations who strive for a more sustainable future for people and the environment. Green Small Business certification provides some independent verification that their ethos is being translated into action. Dom Bush and […]
An increasing number of construction companies are getting Green Small Business certification, the latest of which is Rubix Construction – a residential construction company with a growing reputation for achieving stunning home transformations across South London. As a member of the Considerate Constructors Scheme they are required, among other things, to: identify, manage and promote […]
‘MarTech Consultancy’ was a new one on us but we soon realised it’s one of those things that most of businesses need these days – help with the technology that powers our marketing efforts. Fly are more than just another web development agency with marketing technology expertise though. They offer strategic, business thinking, backed with […]
Inspired by accommodation overseas, St Marks Stays provides a place where groups (and their pets) can have a place to stay and hang out together in beautiful Cumbria, whilst having things organised for them by live-in hosts Joanne and Damian Withers. Joanne and Damian are committed to making their business as green as possible, particularly […]
Our aim has always been to provide a small business-specific alternative to ISO14001. We know that most small businesses don’t have time to dedicate to developing, implementing and monitoring an elaborate environmental management system. It’s one more thing on top of an endless list of other things. Green Small Business was designed to allow small […]
Shed 1 Gin is an award-winning distillery on the edge of the English Lake District. They produce ‘small batch, classically distilled gin with a contemporary style’. We normally provide all of our services remotely, but we took the time to go visit this ‘green distillery’ and we may have sampled some of their fare… The […]
Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, is a world-leading policy institute, with a mission to help governments and societies build a sustainably secure, prosperous and just world. Their work includes a focus on energy, environment and resources. Recognising that they needed to demonstrate that they operated responsibly in this area themselves, they developed […]
Properly Partners, a start-up estate agency, found Green Small Business to be the perfect small business alternative to getting ISO 14001 certification. They hope to inspire others within their industry to take a principled approach to environmental sustainability. Founder Michael Whittaker said “I am hopeful that being associated with Green Small Business will lead to extra […]
Surely one of the most beautiful workspaces in London, the Boathouse Design studio was originally designed for building and maintaining boats. The space now offers a unique office experience for the companies who work there, with its natural light, stunning view over the Thames and its carefully restored and converted interiors. Amaze Property, the owners of the […]
Lisa Smith, the owner of Ginger Bakers, understands that being kind to the environment is not just good for her conscience but good for her business too. Lisa said: “We decided to do it because it’s a good thing for the business. Hopefully it will save on costs and we want to be doing something to contribute to […]
With an electric car, van-sharing scheme, commitment to sustainable sourcing of materials, processes in place to minimise on-site waste and more, London-based builder Lamabuild have firm green credentials. Going through the Green Small Business process allowed a clear structure to be developed for addressing all of the key environmental impacts of the company and for new ideas […]
Green Small Business has recently had the immense pleasure of working with six inspirational charities to help them meet Big Lottery and EU funding requirements. All six were part of a project funded through the Building Better Opportunities programme, run by the European Social Fund and Big Lottery Fund, which is seeking to tackle the root causes of […]
We are oh so very excited to announce that LIFT, the London International Festival of Theatre, is the latest organisation to achieve Green Small Business certification. They might be a ‘small’ team but they deliver one of the most important events in the British arts scene, with an influence that reaches far beyond London. Working […]
Outerspace aim to create stunning and meaningful landscape architecture and have had a long-standing focus on sustainability, both within their own practice and in the design of schemes for clients. In all of their schemes they seek to balance the needs of people and biodiversity. Through preparing a Green Small Business environmental management system, the firm have […]
Bough to Beauty Bespoke make beautiful bespoke oak badges. At a time when the impacts of plastics waste are gaining a higher profile than ever, this is a business which is definitely ‘of it’s time’. Environmental sustainability is at the core of the business and their badges help a huge number of clients to reduce their […]
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 Global Goals, spearheaded by the United Nations to transform the world around a common agenda for sustainable development. The goals provide a framework for formulating responses to the worlds most pressing challenges – from climate action to gender equality, life below water to decent work and economic […]
Before you launch in to thinking about lighting, recycling and everything else that might need to be part of your approach to environmental management, there are three essential steps to take. STEP ONE. MAKE SURE SENIOR MANAGEMENT ARE COMMITTED AND ENGAGED. If you’re the boss or you’re a sole trader, then you’ve got this covered already. […]
If you run a small business or other type of small organisation, your time is precious. Simply doing the basics can be a big enough challenge from day-to-day. Thinking about managing your environmental impacts may feel like a tall order but here’s five reasons why it’s a very smart business move. 1. INCREASE THE MARKETS OR […]
“Anyone who thinks you can have infinite growth on a finite planet is either a madman or an economist” (Kenneth Boulding) Let My People Go Surfing is Yvon Chouinard’s story of outdoor equipment brand Patagonia. It is, as Naomi Klein puts it in her Foreword, the story of “a sincere attempt to address the core tension between the market’s demand […]
