So you want to green up your business?

We asked TV eco expert Penney Poyzer for her tips on helping your business to get lean and green. Penney has advised many organisations on how to green up and cut costs.

The global crunch can affect the business community in many ways. Falling order books mean efficiency is an imperative to survival. We must make the most of everything we use - whether in the workplace or at home, to ensure future generations can have a business too.

It makes sound business sense to squeeze every last bit of benefit from the resources we use. Managing energy, water and waste really efficiently will save a business thousands of pounds. There are thousands of case studies across a zillion sectors providing practical wisdom and real results. When it comes to the bottom line, frugal is the new black.

Encouraging your workforce to really get their heads round making change - and that includes you -  is essential. If a workforce is not fully involved and properly informed, the full potential of savings can’t be achieved.

Consider incentivising your workforce with rewards for ideas and commitment.

Remember, you have to lead and inspire by example - if you are not bothered then why should anyone else be?

Top tips for reducing waste and saving energy

1) Turn off all office equipment when you're not using it - overnight, at weekends and during bank holidays. A single computer and monitor left on 24 hours a day will cost over £50 a year. Switching it off out of hours and enabling standby features could reduce this to £15 a year each and prolong the life span of equipment. For a typical small office with 10 PCs, this could equate to savings of over £300 per year. Electrical equipment and lighting give off a lot of heat and can make working conditions hot and mean more air con is used. IT accounts for 10% of global CO2 emissions.

2) Turn off lights in empty rooms and replace bulbs with energy saving ones. Lighting costs can be cut by as much as 15 per cent by simply turning off lights in rooms and corridors that aren't being used. Consider installing automated lighting (PIR) in bathrooms and corridors. Swop energy hungry halogens with LED lamps.

3) Reduce water consumption by turning off taps fully and fixing any drips. Install flow restrictors which cost a couple of quid.  A constantly dripping tap can waste 500,000 litres of water per year. This could cost your business about £400 per year.

4) Examine waste disposal costs and consider partnering with a nearby business to recycle your waste. Look at whether your waste could be turned into another business' raw materials. Your business can save 4–5 per cent of its turnover by using waste minimisation techniques. Take the paper clip - thousands come in through the mail, save them and reuse.

5) Keep heating at a constant level and ensure doors and windows are shut when using heating or air conditioning. Your heating costs will go up by 8 per cent each time you increase the temperature by just one degree.

6) Ask your suppliers about take-back schemes for unused products. You may be able to get your money back, or at least a portion of the cost.

7) Minimise the need for travel, and drive efficiently when travel is necessary. A business with five company cars could save £5,300 per year through more efficient driving, leading to a reduction in fuel consumption and mileage repayment costs. Real savings can be made on every vehicle used by reducing the load carried and good maintenance.

Simple measures such as keeping tyres properly inflated will improve efficiency. Purchase or lease cars with the lowest emission rates affordable.

8) Invest in efficient equipment to help cut your energy, transport and water costs. Government support includes interest-free Energy Efficiency Loans and Enhanced Capital Allowances.

9) Use email where possible, set your PC to print double-sided and use refillable printer, fax and photocopier cartridges. Ensure staff are properly trained to make the most efficient use of copiers.

Your business can refill ink jet cartridges for about half the price of a new one.

10) Let your customers and suppliers know you're committed to reducing your environmental impact, and promote it through your marketing. More than a third of consumers would favour a product that has been designed with either low environmental impact, minimal packaging or recyclability in mind.

11) Recycle office waste and ensure staff are clear about what waste goes in what receptacle. Contaminated recycling waste increases costs and can mean the waste is diverted to landfill.

12) Where does your WEEE go? No not that sort, waste electronic and electrical equipment. Ensure your electronic waste is properly recycled in the UK - ask your supplier for a statement showing exactly what happens to it. Don’t let your equipment end up polluting the third world. Corporate Social Responsibility is about integrity and goes beyond borders.

13) Healthy working spaces. Ensure there are lots of plants such as spider plants and peace lilies as they filter out harmful chemicals from the air. Encourage your cleaning staff  or cleaning contractor to use non toxic cleaning products which are often cheaper and certainly healthier.

14) Time is your most precious non-renewable resource so don’t waste it! Encourage staff to participate by incentivising their resource saving actions and always lead by example. If you don’t do it - why should they?

15) Green your outer space. If you have some land attached to your premises, support local wildlife and provide water for birds. Put out seating and encourage your staff to enjoy it. Cool down a hot south facing wall by planting deciduous trees such as fruit trees. The shading will reduce need for expensive CO2 munching air con. In the winter, leaves drop and allow light in.

16) Green up the canteen or staff kitchen. Whether domestic or business, kitchens are usually very wasteful places. Ban plastic cups, put in an eco kettle and an A or even better an A++ fridge. Provide fair trade tea and coffee and set up recycling bins.

17) Purchase stationery goods with a green pedigree.  For every bit of stationery or equipment of just about any description, there is a more eco friendly alternative and a good number of green suppliers to advise you.

18) Actively support your workforce to travel greener. Help set up and support car pools, bicycles and subsidised travel.

19) Working from home. How many of your workforce could work more at home? This will save on their travel costs and reduce energy use in the workplace. It also provides a greater quality of life for parents and their families by providing greater flexibility.

20) Make the shift happen. Time is running out and it is a non-renewable resource. The planet will get on fine without us, this is just about self-preservation.

Penney Poyzer and her business partner Vanessa Harrison are the people behind a new concept in green business training - LIVE GREEN, WORK GREEN - an holistic training approach that can help an entire workforce to shift from a culture of unconscious waste to a community of conscious consumers. 

For more information see her forthcoming website www.penneypoyzer.com or email her on Penney.poyzer@gmail.com.