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Less than a third of respondents felt that ethical practices should include stakeholder engagement outside of financial backers

Report: Majority of UK SMEs struggling to embed sustainability

Almost three-quarters of UK SMEs are struggling to embed sustainability practices, citing costs issues and unfavourable government policies as major stumbling blocks, according to a new report.

The retail water market launched on 1 April 2017, allowing eligible non-household customers in England to choose their water and wastewater supplier

Water retail market reaches 100,000 milestone

More than 100,000 supply points have switched water retailer in the first 10 months of the market, according to figures released by the market operator - MOSL.

The 30% cashback offer can generate up to £10,000 for SMEs, while the energy efficiency improvements could create savings of up to £8,000 on average each year

Scottish SMEs offered 'cashback' loan for energy-efficiency projects

Small businesses in Scotland have been encouraged to take advantage of a new "cashback" scheme that could enable them to cut annual energy usage by a quarter and save up to £10,000 in the process.

36,000 businesses have switched water retailer since market competition opened

More than 36,000 businesses have switched water retailer since the market opened to competition earlier this year, with around 60% of those switches coming from low-water-users.

The route map outlines several cross-sector factors that must be championed in order to embed the circular economy in the capital

New route map guides London towards £2.8bn circular economy

A new route map was launched on Monday (19 June) outlining how the collective buying power of the private sector could catalyse the circular economy in London, unlocking £2.8bn annually in the process.

The Advance London scheme will provide free practical help and advice to assist SMEs in identifying circular economy opportunities

London launches support scheme for circular economy transition

A new business support programme which aims to help SMEs in London adopt and scale-up resource-efficient business models has been launched today (25 April).

City Hall, Cardiff. Recent studies have found the adoption of a circular economy could save the Welsh economy up to £2bn and has the potential to create up to 30,000 jobs

Wales creates £6.5m circular economy fund for SMEs

The Welsh Government has unveiled a £6.5m fund to help SMEs make the transformation towards a circular economy.

The paper notes that SMEs currently represent more than 99% of all UK businesses, employ more than 15 million people and account for 45% of the UK’s energy use

Reduce, generate and store: SMEs urged to capitalise on energy transition

UK SMEs can thrive in a low-carbon economy if they follow the mantra of 'reduce, generate and store' as a way to revamp energy costs during an era of "unprecedented disruption", a new whitepaper from financial solutions partner DLL has claimed.

Aiming high: Being an SME has obvious downsides in terms of scale and access to markets, but if you can be quick to learn and change, those downsides become strengths

Big ambitions: How SME's can become sustainability leaders

Next up in the series of contributed articles for edie's Sustainability Leadership Month, Andy Wood, chief executive of Suffolk-based brewer and distiller Adnams, outlines how small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can incorporate sustainability in their business agenda.

Big ambitions: How SME's can become sustainability leaders

Wind turbines near a canal in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. At present, the EU's energy system remains centralised and dominated by large power plants

Europe eyes 'big bang' in power savings from industry and SMEs

While standards for toasters, fridges, and TV sets have so far grabbed the most attention, the biggest potential for power savings actually lies in integrating industries and small businesses to the electricity system, a senior EU official has said.

Scotland's incumbent water retailer Business Stream will manage the water services of the new multi-utility offering, while consultancy firm Utilitywise will oversee energy provision

New energy and water retail service offers businesses 'one-stop-shop' for utilities

UK organisations will soon be able to manage their electricity, gas and water use in one place thanks to a pioneering new partnership between non-domestic water supplier Business Stream and energy consultancy Utilitywise.

Zero Waste Scotland predicts that businesses could save £2.9bn per year through using energy, water and raw materials more efficiently

Scottish SMEs could save £19,000 per year through energy efficiency measures

Scottish small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are wasting £19,000 every year by neglecting simple energy efficiency improvements, according to Zero Waste Scotland.

Sustainable business guru John Elkington says businesses should turn to disruption, innovation and cross-sector collaboration as a means to funnel the low-carbon agenda down towards SMEs

John Elkington: Business case for sustainability must strengthen amidst Brexit and Trump uncertainty

EXCLUSIVE: Major political upheavals caused by Brexit and president-elect Donald Trump have created a "sense of uncertainty" in the climate change battle, which has heightened the need for the private sector to develop a more strengthened business case for sustainability.

Research has discovered that only four London boroughs out of the 32 are above the national domestic recycling average of 44.9%

London support scheme launched to help SMEs scale up circular business models

As research reveals that almost 90% of London boroughs have fallen below the national average for household recycling, a new business support programme has been launched to enable SMEs in the capital to adopt and scale up circular business models.

Sustainable Glasgow Duncan Booker believes that city leadership, in collaboration with the private sector, is a “crucial factor” in delivering sustainable economic progress

Businesses will play 'crucial role' in the UK's transition to low-carbon cities

The creation of low-carbon, sustainable British cities can only be addressed through collaboration between the public sector and innovative green businesses.

The letter suggests that the removal of current trade measures would “stimulate growth” in European manufacturing sectors

European businesses call for EU to cut 'ruinous' tariffs on chinese solar

Businesses across Europe, including more than 60 based in the UK, are calling on the European Union (EU) to remove trade measures on Chinese solar modules and cells that have had "unforeseen consequences" on the European solar value chain.

Prototyping expert Tom Chi was among the mentors of the inaugural UK Unreasonable Impact programme, which provided eco-entrepreneurs with resources and mentorship to scale-up. Photo: @UnreasonImpact/Twitter

Barclays supports 'disruptors of tomorrow' with green innovation scale-up scheme

Hydrogen vehicle pioneer Riversimple, London's first subterranean farming concept Growing Underground and tree-planting drone developer BioCarbon Engineering are among 10 British green business start-ups that look set to undergo a period of intensive scale-up after taking part in a new accelerator scheme launched by Barclays Bank.

Just 11% of SMEs would rate their current energy supplier as 'excellent' when it comes to renewable energy support and options

Small businesses 'discontent' with renewable energy supplier options

Britain's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are keen to make the switch to 100% renewable energy-powered operations, but many are not receiving enough support from energy suppliers in order to do so, a new survey has revealed.

Zero Waste Scotland chief executive Iain Gulland and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change, Environment and Land Reform Roseanna Cunningham at the Scottish Resources Conference 2016 in Edinburgh

Scotland opens up 'circular regions' funding to drive SME resource revolution

Scotland's Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change, Environment and Land Reform Roseanna Cunningham has this week announced a targeted funding call to better support the nation's SMEs in embrace the shift to a circular economy.

The coalition suggests that a clear 2050 vision must be aligned with the EU’s 2030 energy and climate objectives

Building industry calls for EU-wide 2050 energy efficiency vision

A coalition of industry-leading businesses from the building sector including AkzoNobel, Philips Lighting and Siemens have urged the European Commission (EC) to implement continent-wide action to improve the energy efficiency of Europe's building stock.

Marcela Navarro's Business Cubed has begun work with engine manufacturer Cummins, acting as a “de-risking model” that could open up investment across a variety of green innovation markets

Business Cubed: one woman's mission to de-risk the global green innovation market

As a growing number of businesses look to tap into the huge potential of low-carbon innovators and sustainability start-ups to drive internal CSR programmes, Matt Mace talks to the creator of the successful RBS Innovation Gateway as she embarks on a brave new venture to bring even more ready-for-market green innovations into the mainstream.

The Energy Saving Trust is aiming to drive change in the way business thinks about their transport options

Five fuel efficiency myths steering businesses towards £1bn fleet losses

Misconceptions about how to reduce fuel costs is causing as much as £1bn in unnecessary fleet management costs per year and resulting in needless emissions for English business, according to new research.

With the 84 funding sources representing £157m in total value, SMEs can establish their needs in regards to stages of development and financial requirements

Shell launches new digital tool to springboard low-carbon start-ups into green markets

A new digital tool has been launched by Shell's business development platform to create a route to market for innovative, low-carbon small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through a variety of sources totalling £157m in value.

Research carried out by CleanEarth Energy has revealed that more than a third of SMEs feel that the Government is failing to introduce policies that will help combat climate change

Green policy continuity the biggest challenge for energy professionals

The UK Government has faced a double dose of criticism over the effectiveness of its current green strategies by leading environmental groups, after surveys revealed that energy professionals and businesses view energy policy continuity as the biggest challenge for their sector.

Workshop spaces and a tour of the premises will be available to visitors during the grand opening of the Remakery, located at 125 Leith Walk

Edinburgh launches 'Remakery' to ignite re-use and repair revolution

An Edinburgh social enterprise has set up a unique re-use and repair superstore to encourage second-hand shopping and enable more people to learn key repair skills in the Scottish capital, as a way of driving a circular economy.

Green SMEs normally encounter four key legal elements that need to be addressed to ensure that a cleantech innovation is able to scale up

Cleantech innovation: the legal necessities of joining forces

In the final installment of edie's cleantech innovation feature mini-series, Hamish Corner - partner at law firm Penningtons Manches - outlines the legal necessities that must be established and protected by green entrepreneurs when entering collaborative partnerships with larger corporations.

The relationship between large and small businesses could be enhanced further if SMEs were more proactive while developing solutions

Cleantech innovation: the collaboration equation

In the penultimate part of this cleantech innovation feature mini-series, Carbon Limiting Technologies (CLT) directors Beverley Gower-Jones and Mark Bornhoft explain how green innovators should be interacting with big corporations to carve out a route to market and ensure they aren't "designing in the dark".

Funding gap: Cleantech innovators will face numerous challenges when attracting investors to take a 'leap of faith' towards commercial success

Cleantech innovation: Strategies for scaling up

In the second part of this cleantech innovation feature mini-series, Hamish Corner - a partner at UK law firm Penningtons Manches LLP - outlines the key challenges and potential solutions for green entrepreneurs and start-ups when it comes to attracting funding to turn proven prototypes into a commercial success.

Figures from the survey revealed that just 13% have seen a decrease in energy costs over the last three years

SMEs urge Government to provide energy efficiency grants

A large proportion of Britain's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) believe that the Government should provide grants towards the installation costs of energy efficiency measures, according to a survey from the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC).

Despite huge disparities in terms of size and employment, both Dunlop and Jacobs have implemented energy-saving techniques within their operations

How Jacobs and Dunlop are engineering a green industrial revolution

EXCLUSIVE: With question marks still looming over the Tata Steel crisis, manufacturers large and small are taking steps to ensure that energy-intensive industries aren't left behind in the global movement to a low-carbon future.

More than 400 SMEs have identified around £10m in potential long-term savings through RBS’ unique auditing service

RBS hits £1bn milestone for green loans

The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has doubled its financial lending to sustainable energy projects, with more than 400 small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) acting as benefactors of a £1bn lending spree from the bank in 2015.

The education centre and main plant at the Farington facility which is set for closure

Two of Britain's largest recycling plants set to close

Lancashire County Council has revealed that a recent surge in national recycling rates along with the severe financial situation facing the local authority has contributed to the closure of two of Britain's biggest recycling plants.

Clyde Arc bridge reflected in river Clyde Glasgow. Zero Waste Scotland is hoping to drive a business-led circular economy across the country

Scotland's SMEs urged to 'seize opportunity' of resource revolution

Scotland's circular economy body Zero Waste Scotland has today (18 March) launched an £18m fund to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) explore and pioneer ways to develop a circular economy.

The Innovation Competition is looking for the best green ideas that edie Live can help turn into market-ready propositions

edie's 2016 Innovation Zone Competition deadline EXTENDED

Owing to popular demand, edie has extended the deadline for the Innovation Competition taking place at edie Live, giving entrepreneurs and SMEs that have developed green technologies, systems or business models an extra week to submit their entries.

Liz Goodwin cited the servitisation model being adopted by tyre management company Bandvulc, which has generated a significant increase in revenue

WRAP calls on UK SMEs to take 'circular leap of faith'

Liz Goodwin, the soon-to-depart chief executive of the Government's Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), has today (8 March) provided new evidence of how the circular economy is beginning to make a big difference for small businesses across the UK.

The Bristol Go Green Challenge is just one of several RBS Innovation Gateway Challenges that offers SMEs the chance to trial innovative resource efficiency solutions on the RBS estate

RBS Bristol to trial 12 eco-innovations

An electric car club, an energy system that adjusts using real-weather data and a central heating additive that helps radiators heat up quicker are among 12 'eco-innovations' to be trialled on RBS buildings in Bristol.

The campaign invites food and grocery industry companies to help their employees reduce household food waste throughout October

Food waste: Employee behaviour change campaign launched

Food and grocery businesses across the UK are helping their employees to reduce their household food waste through a month-long campaign co-ordinated by WRAP and food research firm IGD.

The changes come as Gogarburn undergoes major renovations which will see staff numbers grow from 3500 to 6000

RBS unveils 8 green innovations at global headquarters

The Royal Bank of Scotland has announced the eight eco-innovations that will be trialled at its world headquarters in Gogarburn as part of its innovation sponsorship programme.