Awards will encourage firms to grow green

Jun 5 2008 by Karen Dent, The Journal

As green issues increasingly dominate the news agenda, Karen Dent finds out about one North East company aiming to help and reward businesses that make the environmental grade.

BEING green – and being seen to be green – is increasingly important for businesses in these environmentally aware times.

But turning the theory into practice is not always straightforward, especially among small businesses concerned about the cost of more environmentally friendly policies.

Rita Callender, managing director of Gatehead training company Environmental Academy, said: “Everybody is passionate about climate change and they understand the issues because they see it on the television every day. The problem with business is the bottom line and you’ve got to keep control of your costs. All companies are coming under incredible pressure to deliver environmental excellence.

“A lot of it is going to become mandatory, for example site waste management plans for the construction industry. The drivers are coming. Companies in the UK will have to sit up and be ready.”

The Environmental Academy reckons it has the answer – a series of awards that businesses can apply for online, which they can then display on their website to show clients they have achieved a certain standard. It has chosen today’s World Environment Day to launch the Enviro Excellence Awards scheme – the first internet-based environmental awards – along with free online advice and a free online environmental management course for each interested business.

Firms are not receiving enough guidance on how they can break down the great raft of advice and legislation emanating from Westminster and Brussels and take practical steps to reduce their carbon footprint.

And they are not being informed that becoming a leaner, greener machine can save them money in the long run, according to Ms Callender.

“The Government has forgotten to tell business owners what to do – the actual steps that business owners can take on a day-to-day basis,” she said. “If they put in waste minimisation or recycling, that will have an impact on their bottom line.

“Once they understand what is involved, then it makes a difference. A lot of the time, they don’t understand.”

The new Enviro Awards come in bronze, silver and gold standards, with companies required to make more environmentally friendly improvements to move up the levels.

Ms Callender said: “It’s not difficult to apply for the award. We want companies to continue improving. If we give them the bronze award, what we’re hoping is that they will then decide they have to go for the silver. The great thing is that it will persuade businesses to continually improve.”

To apply, businesses are required to put together an environmental policy or statement, looking at the ways they can recycle more and cut down on the waste they produce and the water and energy they use.

The awards are suitable for all sizes of business and for organisations at different stages in their efforts to go green, right up to those that have already achieved the ISO 14001 – the top international accreditation recognising that a company has put a thorough environmental management plan into action.

Those that have already reached this stage, such as the heavy vehicle maker and Environmental Academy client Caterpillar, have their systems in place to apply immediately for the gold Enviro Award.

Once applicants have drawn up their environmental management plan and started to put it into practice, they upload it to the awards website.

The information, designed to show whether businesses have good environmental controls and processes, is then independently verified by an assessor.

On achieving the required standard, the business can permanently display the relevant Enviro Award on its website.

“It is not too onerous to do as a small company,” said Ms Callender. “The smaller Joe Bloggs down the road who might be employing one person and his dog may be able to go for the bronze award.

“It’s about trying to embrace the SMEs. They account for 60% of North East business. They have a massive impact.”

The Environmental Academy plans to roll out its awards scheme internationally and already has the US in its sights. After the US launch, it intends to take the idea to Europe.

The main Environmental Academy business is that of an accredited trainer, providing face-to-face and online courses on environmental awareness, management, legislation, auditing and waste minimisation.

It is in the process of setting up an office in Singapore, with help from the Government’s UK Trade and Investment body, to teach its courses there.

Ms Callender said: “We are very passionate about what we do; we think we’re very ground breaking and innovative in what we offer.”

The Enviro Excellence Awards website is at www. enviroexcellence.com

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