Expert advice for company bosses

For many of us, helping to save the environment means putting our rubbish in the right bin or changing a lightbulb.

For major businesses, its a multi-billion-pound investment in an environmental management system which aims to comply with the myriad of rules and regulations which govern waste, pollution and recycling.

But the fact is that the law applies to almost every business, big or small, and most are ignoring it.

From the shop selling drinks in plastic bottles, to the factory which packs them, and the producer which manufactures the plastic – all of the companies in the chain have a responsibility, and a legal requirement, to make sure the plastic and the cardboard packaging is recycled.

Mandy Stoker is a director of Shrewsbury-based E4environment Ltd and believes most smaller firms are unaware of how green legislation affects their business.

“You could walk down any street with shops and find somewhere selling something with a battery in it – they should be complying with Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment regulations but I bet they’re not,” she said.

Mandy’s company is one of a growing breed of firms responding to a need from businesses which in some cases are falling foul of the law and being prosecuted by the Environment Agency for failing to comply with the rules.

Set up in 2000 with fellow director Kay Hawkins, E4environment is finding companies are becoming more concerned about what they should have done in the past, what they can do now and they also want to be able to shout about their environmental credentials.

An environmental science graduate, Mandy specialises in waste with Kay focusing on renewable energy and windfarms.

E4environment is now working for household names like The Disney Store and utility giants npower and E.ON, doing environmental audits and helping them comply, but it has also discovered a way to help smaller businesses which may not be aware of how to reduce their environmental impact.

Mandy said: “Many businesses are totally unaware of the regulations. Sometimes its a lack of communication, it’s not filtering down to smaller companies, they wouldn’t even think environmental legislation would apply to them.

“Smaller businesses don’t even think about it. They think it’s all about polluting rivers or putting something out into the air, it’s not about what products you sell or whether it’s got a battery or not.

“A lot of people are changing lightbulbs and turning off equipment but I think their motive is energy costs going up, rather than being driven by environmental issues.

“I know very few companies which would do something through a sense of responsibility to the environment, they will do it because it will make a financial difference or it will keep them out of court.

“But there is an awful lot of legislation out there that does apply, like WEEE, or hazardous waste regulations. For example if you replace all your fluorescent tubes that’s hazardous waste, you need a permit for it.

“With the Climate Change Bill coming up, it’s likely we will all have a limit to the amount of energy we can use. Businesses will have to calculate how much gas, electricity they use, how many business miles flights they do, and a limit will be put on it and businesses will be forced to reduce.

“This happens in big industry already. If they go over the limit, they have to go and buy it from another company,” Mandy added.

One way E4environment is hoping to help businesses is by investing in a new online environmental manager.

“We invested a lot of money in building a website which we hope will change the face of environmental consultancy. It’s subscription based and businesses can log on, and go through all of the issues which can affect companies, like environmental management systems. 

“Business can see all the relevant topics and see a breakdown, stage by stage, of what an environmental management system actually is.

“They can download an audit form and it’s what we would do. We have put all our knowledge and all our tools on a website, and they can do it themselves. 

“They can then form an environmental policy. The website also covers all the legislation, which is so complicated.”

But what about smaller companies who want to publicise what they are doing to help the environment? 

In response, Mandy’s company has developed the Green Achiever scheme.

She said: “One thing companies do want to do is be seen to be being green, and that is a much more of a driver than whether they are complying with legislation or not.

“Green Achiever helps companies which are doing their bit to shout about it. It works in two ways. Firstly, the public can access a website which will tell them exactly what a company is doing to reduce its environmental impact but we also wanted to create something for companies who wanted to demonstrate their activities.”

Hundreds of businesses are now listed with Green Achiever, mostly SMEs, but with companies as varied as IT firms to a zoo in Cornwall.

“Green Achiever has hit the nerve of a lot of the professional services companies as well as hotels and construction firms which are trying to help the environment. Companies can sign up, fill in their information, and they answer questions about the business and then we send them a free report, It is basically an environmental healthcheck. 

“We do a checklist for them free, they are a member of the scheme, and if they really want to prove that they are being green they have an audit to achieve a silver or gold status.”

The first firm to achieve the silver standard was web solutions company Linesave, in Shrewsbury.

Mandy added: “The absolute minimum we require for silver standard is that they have to comply with environmental legislation and if they don’t get silver status we can help them get to that stage.”