We are all wise to the financial and ecological advantages of using fewer resources and reducing waste these days, but the challenge is to figure out how to achieve this without having a negative impact on other aspects of your business. Re-using and recycling packaging or waste water may seem straightforward but businesses often find that the additional time and money spent on reducing their carbon footprint cancels out any financial gains and often requires investment.
It makes good commercial sense to be as efficient as possible, and carrying out an audit of materials used during processing, energy and water consumption, and waste production, is a good starting point. Being more efficient involves taking a really good look at every aspect of your business, from office lighting to vehicles, storage and all types of processes. It means applying best practice programmes and business models such as the Waste Hierarchy to re-assess everything you do.
Once you know what you are using now, and how much of it, you then need to work out where you can cut back and how much you can cut back. This is not an easy job, and it will take time, money and expertise. A common mistake is to just assign the job to an employee who has not got much to do and to make them brainstorm some ideas for an hour or so. This nearly always yields poor results because waste reduction requires knowledge and experience, and is not something that most people can do well.
Rather than blindly making changes, the best approach is to seek the advice of an environmental consultant. There will, of course, be an upfront fee to pay, but the information and advice that you get will enable you to start saving money and reducing your footprint on the environment in the quickest time possible. The investment will more than pay for itself within a couple of months. It is a mistake to think that specialist advice is not needed because of the wealth of free advice that is available. The problem with free advice is that it is not specific to your business.
As well benefiting financially and helping the environment, it should also be remembered that there is legal issues involved. There is a lot of environmental legislation that needs to be adhered to and failing to do so could result in large fines being levied against your business. Ignorance is no defense, and whilst you could read up on this legislation yourself, is that really a good use of your time? An environmental consultant will be fully aware of the various environmental laws that are in place in your country and will advise you accordingly.
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The trend is for companies to put “systems” to manage these issues in a sustainable manner. Many government agencies work with the regulated community to form partnership groups. These groups can help you get started in the right direction.