Small businesses save £58m by going green

The combined savings made by businesses using the government-backed environmental advice website NetRegs are in the region of £58m.


These are the official figures published by Government in an effort to encourage more businesses to take advantage of the free advice which aims to provide a better understanding of environmental law and offering a competitive edge over their peers.

The statistics are based on a survey commissioned by NetRegs and suggest that those companies which opt in for email alerts keeping them up to date with developments and changes to the law save £2,615 on average while those who log into the site at least once a week save an average of £5,296.

Businesses using this government-backed service are making these savings as a result of more efficient handling of their waste, saving energy, avoiding consultants’ fees and saving time researching their changing obligations.

The up-to-date knowledge is also helping them avoid fines for non-compliance.

Last year poor awareness of the law was given as the reason for environmental crimes leading to fines of around £2.4m.

John Holbrow, chairman of the environment and energy policy unit at the Federation of Small Businesses said: “Environmental awareness should be a top priority for small businesses to help them not only to save costs but also to improve their competitive edge.

“The NetRegs website is an extremely useful resource that provides easy-to-digest information on environmental law that is not only comprehensive, but uniquely relevant to small business needs. It also offers an added strength in their valuable, free e-alert service that enables businesses to keep up-to-date with the latest legislation.”

Sam Bond

Action inspires action. Stay ahead of the curve with sustainability and energy newsletters from edie

Subscribe