Envirowise

Envirowise offers independant practical environmental advice on a number of cross-sector initiatives that exist to help companies realise cost-savings and reduced environmental impact, whilst remaining in compliance with legislation.

Envirowise offer a range of free support packages delivered by a panel of trusted, independent and experienced advisors who can provide tailored, confidential guidance to help businesses save money through waste minimisation and resource efficiency.

Each solution is driven by the specific needs of individual firms to genuinely improve their business practices, profitability and competitiveness. Since 1994, Envirowise has helped UK industry save over £1 billion.

Read more about some Envirowise iniatives below:

Bring your water bill under control

The cost of water is becoming more of an issue for businesses, with the cost for mains, sewerage and trade effluent charges all rising. But companies reducing water usage could make a big impact on their bottom line, with utility cost savings of as much as 50%. Businesses will equally be playing their part in relieving the water shortages currently affecting parts of the UK.

Figures from Envirowise show that office workers use as much as 35 litres of water every day¹  –  86% of which is a direct result of flushing toilets.  With more than 22 million office workers throughout the UK², this alone equates to 663 million litres a day, or enough to fill the Royal Albert Hall nearly seven times.

However, if every office were to put bottles in their toilets’ cisterns, daily water wastage could be reduced by a fifth (132 million litres) – the equivalent of 35 Olympic swimming pools. By installing push or spray taps, water wasted from hand washing could also be reduced by a further 20 million litres.³

For quick and cheap ways to save water, Envirowise recommends you:

• Turn taps off fully and replace leaking hoses and worn tap washers.
• Fit push-button taps in staff washrooms; these can use as little as half the water used through conventional taps and help prevent floods in event of a sink becoming blocked. 
• Check your water system for leaks, which can be expensive and cause damage to your building. Take meter readings regularly and carefully – if you are paying for water that you cannot account for then you may have a leak.
• Reduce your need for mains supply water by looking at ways you could recycle ‘grey water’, from sources such as cleaning equipment, vehicles or outside areas.
• Reduce the amount of clean water used in every toilet flush, by fitting a water displacement device into cisterns – these are often available free of charge from your local water company.
• Contact your water services provider – it can supply you with a range of water saving tips. Water companies can conduct visits and provide advice on minimising water use for all types of organisation.

For more information businesses can call the Envirowise helpline on 0800 595 794.

Businesses urged to stop letting profits go to waste

Businesses could cut costs thanks to a new online savings calculator that allows you to discover the potential savings to be made by cutting down on waste. By simply inputting a few basic details into the tool, businesses can identify the kind of savings to be made on costs such as paper, ink, waste disposal, water, heating and transport. It also includes information on how Envirowise can help identify low cost, high value solutions and develop an effective waste minimisation programme for businesses.

The calculator can be found at http://www.maximiseprofit.org.uk 

Envirowise’s top tip  – Don’t waste your people

Companies working with Envirowise that implement a full programme of measures to minimize waste and make more efficient use of resources can save up to £1000 per employee per year.⁴ However, this can only be achieved if the business has the full support of all its employees.

Some top tips to get you on your way:

• Encourage staff to flag up any waste problems. A good manager will never criticise if waste is brought to his/her attention. Be seen to act.
• Make waste important!
• Don’t keep costs secret. Employees often don’t appreciate the value of the materials they are handling, because they haven’t been told.
• Talking about savings in £’s is more meaningful than quoting percentages. Make waste understandable and highlight collective responsibility.
  Provide people with the right tools and equipment for the job. Poor tool design or having to make do can lead to waste and reduced motivation.

Businesses highlight need for environmental support

A recent Envirowise survey carried out by Ipos MORI⁵ reveals that businesses need more practical help to tackle environmental issues such as resource efficiency and reducing water use. Almost two-thirds of the businesses surveyed (72%) consider waste reduction to be an important issue according to the survey of 751 small and medium-sized businesses. However, 41% highlighted the need for practical help to introduce environmental practices with 17% saying they don’t know where to turn for information. Dr Martin Gibson, director of Envirowise, is encouraging business support groups – from the Environment Agency through to local authorities - to work together to simplify ways businesses can reduce their environmental impact.

Businesses seeking advice on any aspect of resource efficiency can call the free, confidential Envirowise Helpline on 0800 585 794.

(1) GG432 - Envirowise publication
(2) ONS labour market statistics
(3) GG522 - Envirowise publication
(4) Envirowise case study and waste minimisation club data shows companies implementing full resource efficiency measures can save up to £1,000 per employee.
(5) Envirowise survey conducted by Ipos MORI during April and May 2006. A total of 751 interviews were undertaken with SMEs across Great Britain, from ten different industry sectors.