Launching a business is no easy task, as finalising plans can be an overwhelming and arduous process. Once you begin factoring in keeping the business eco friendly, it can seem like an impossible task.
Hands on advice and affordable audits are often hard to reach resources for SMEs, so to help keep things simple, Small99 has launched a new tool to help small businesses on their journey to be as eco friendly as possible.
‘Your Carbon Calculator’ acts as a quick and easy assessment, taking just a few minutes to complete. It asks business owners 30 questions, to produce a scorecard to guide businesses in their next steps.
It can be difficult to pinpoint where elements of your business may be not be optimised to their ‘greenest’ extent. The tool is designed to cover all aspects of business, from supply chains to even how employees get to work.
Some questions centre around energy consumption, such as ‘Do you measure the energy usage of your devices?’, whilst others focus on how you import your goods – ‘Do you use sustainable transportation for your local deliveries?’.
Elements of running a business that may not be at the forefront of your mind are also brought into question, for example the tool asks, ‘Do you own any second hand and/or refurbished appliances in your working space?’.
Once completed, the tool then provides business owners with an overview of their ‘scores’, highlighting where they can make the most improvements. Whether that is switching to a renewable energy supplier, sourcing second hand office furniture or changing to a more carbon conscious transport option.
A full checklist of practical things SMEs can do to reach net zero carbon emissions can also be accessed, offering a less time consuming way to brainstorm simple changes.
Adam Bastock from Small99 said, ‘Too many small businesses are struggling to find practical advice that actually applies to how their business operates.
‘When assessing their business’ impact on the environment, it can get quickly overwhelming. Getting wrapped up in measurements and numbers takes the focus off of making practical decisions, which is what we hope the scorecard will help to alleviate.
‘In fact, we often see that a barrier to change is fear of doing something wrong. This tool will point SMEs in the right direction, building up a policy of change, instead of never reducing emissions ‘just in case’.
‘This tool offers us a simple way to produce an overall ‘score’ and from there, we can take the steps to improve their carbon footprint. We hope to see this inspire many SMEs, and help them to understand that going green doesn’t have to be an uphill battle.
‘We want to inspire business owners, not put them off. To do so, we need to look at the total carbon budget of the company. From the cars staff are driving to work, to their delivery vans, to what their waste recycling looks like and materials used in their packaging.’
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