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By Dr Martin Gibson
Director of Envirowise
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Firms have a mass of environmental rules to deal with
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The environment is an increasingly critical issue for small firms as well as large.
Issues related to the environmental impact of business, from water use to waste disposal, are coming ever more under the scrutiny of governments.
At the same time, consumers are less likely to turn a blind eye to poor environmental performance.
But it is undoubtedly in the proliferation of environmental regulation that businesses are feeling this shift most profoundly.
Global summits, European directives, waste and emissions targets are giving rise to a wide array of regulations forcing companies to take action to reduce their impact on the environment.
The harsh reality is that poor environmental performance has consequences for profitability, competitiveness, reputation and staff morale. It is too big an issue to ignore.
'Punitive costs'
A raft of new regulation will continue to increase the expense of environmental performance.
It is estimated that waste already costs businesses in the UK £15bn per year while, in many cases, failure to comply with regulations leaves businesses liable to punitive taxes and fines.
For small businesses in particular, these are significant developments.
Unlike their larger cousins, they do not necessarily have either the resources or the expertise to comply with new regulation, which affects their ability to compete and, ultimately, survive.
The best way to deal with the demands of environmental regulations is to anticipate them and take appropriate action before it is too late.
However, Envirowise - the government funded body charged with helping companies reduce their environmental impact and costs - estimates that at least 30% of small businesses are struggling to keep up with existing and planned regulations that include:
The European Hazardous Waste directive. This specifies new rules on landfill and hazardous waste. It bans the disposal of hazardous waste with non-hazardous waste in landfill. All businesses disposing of hazardous waste are responsible for dealing with it properly.
The Pollution Prevention and Control regime covers measures to reduce environmental impact and includes energy efficiency, waste minimisation, vibration and noise. Companies must implement management systems to ensure that all prevention and control measures are taken.
The Producer Responsibility Regulations 1997 ensure that businesses take responsibility for the packaging waste they generate.
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