Business and the environment - Envirowise
All businesses can improve their environmental performance and cut costs at the same time. And in many cases, a spin off benefit is achieving regulatory compliance more readily.
Typically the cost of wasted raw materials, water, energy etc is 10 times the cost of waste disposal - so action to improve resource efficiency will usually lead to cost savings. By improving the efficiency with which a business uses water and raw materials, it can cut the amount and strength of effluent they produce and reduce the amount of waste that must be disposed of. All of these measures will cut costs. The higher up the 'waste hierarchy' that you take action, the better off your company will be!
Further details
Envirowise is the main government programme providing advice on improving resource efficiency (eliminate, reduce, re-use) to businesses in industry and commerce. It produces case studies on companies that have improved their environmental performance and cut costs and shows 'how to do it', and for some sectors it produces benchmarks to allow comparison of your performance with your competitors. Envirowise also provides guidance on cost-effective cleaner technologies, and can help you with 'cleaner design'.
Envirowise provides cross-sectoral guidance on reducing water consumption, optimising packaging use and cutting solvent use and VOC emissions. It also provides advice on specific sectoral issues in a range of sectors including textiles, food and drink, engineering.
The programme also manages the environment element of the Environment and Energy Helpline (0800 58 57 94),which provides free advice on any environmental issue. For small sites a free and confidential visit can be offered.
Advice from Envirowise is a useful source of 'how to do it' guidance for businesses wishing to:
- establish a waste minimisation programme as part of the continual improvement required by their Environmental Management System such as EMAS or ISO14001 (addressed on the EMAS site)
- make progress on reducing any water and waste impacts identified in their environmental report
Other sources of advice
Businesses interested in recycling and recycled materials should contact the Waste and Resources Action Programme, and for companies with a particular interest in energy, The Carbon Trust.
Page published 20 November
2001;
Page last modified
1 September, 2008