Measure your environmental impact

Apr 16 2008 By Andrew Mernin

A NEW online tool has been launched to help North East businesses measure their environmental impact.

Sustainable businesss expert Envirowise has launched an online indicator to help companies test their green credentials and uncover the potential financial savings that can be made by reducing their environmental impact.

By entering basic data on raw material and utility use, companies are given a visual illustration of the equivalent carbon dioxide emissions generated by these activities. Firms can then see which aspects of their business have the biggest CO2 impact and plan in appropriate actions to tackle the problem.

Guy Bashford, Envirowise  regional manager for the North East said: "Each company in the region will know that they use a range of different resources on a day-to-day basis, but what they may not be so aware of is the extent to which each of these resources – be it gas used in heating or packaging cardboard – has a clear environmental impact.

"Envirowise aims to put the sustainable use of resources at the heart of UK business. There are several eco indicator and calculator tools out there but ours analyses the full picture by considering resource inputs and resulting waste volumes. By using the tool, local businesses are not only able to better understand their own environmental impact and the potential savings they can make, but also help develop the tool for others to benefit from."

For free access to the Indicator visit www.envirowise.gov.uk/Indicator, where a videocast is available to help guide users through using the tool.