Is there such a thing as a green business; While terms such as environmentally friendly, sustainable business and social responsibility are commonly used, there are as many different definitions for these as there are shades of green in the colour spectrum. Further confusion arises from the wide range of green certifications that exist each with their own slightly differing criteria.

The term green business can cover the full range from businesses with no negative impact on the environment or society (a tall order) through to those in the process of reducing their negative impacts. So how important is the definition of green?

For each business the definition is vital. However in the absence of global agreement, the first step for any business considering going green is to define what green means for them. While there are a number of organisations who can advise in this area, only those within the business can determine its strategic direction and how green practices will fit. Before a business can create their definition of green, they need to be clear on how green they want to be and what resources they can invest in the process.

How green a business decides to be will largely depend on why they want to implement green business practices. Is the move simply to support the greater good or is there an objective to reduce operating costs, improve market perception, meet environmental regulations or obtain a particular certification. Each of these different objectives will look slightly different in implementation.

The other consideration is that nothing worthwhile is achieved without some form of resource investment whether it is time or money. Many people underestimate the time that it can take to gain the knowledge to go green or examine current business practices. There may also be a financial cost in implementing new strategies or hiring the required knowledge if it doesn’t exist (and cannot be obtained) internally.

Determining the reasons for going green and the resources that can be committed to the process is the first step in defining what green will look like for an individual business.

Given how much we rely on electronic communication, there is still an amazing amount of paper being used every day. While most of us have heard about reusing and recycling paper, it is questionable how much attention we pay to this advice. Have a look around your office now and see how much paper you’ve got lying around. Aside from the A4 copy printer paper what about the bank statements, business cards, post it notes, magazines etc.

Why should we reduce paper use?

Paper manufacturing occurs in many different parts of the world and has a number of environmental impacts:

• Use of Energy – the manufacture of paper is energy intensive contributing to global warming;
• Use of Water – lots of water is used which can impact local water supplies;
• Pollution – paper manufacture requires a wide range of chemicals with the potential to create air and water pollution;
• Solid waste – paper can only be recycled a limited number of times so eventually it will end up in the landfill (presuming it is recycled in the first place and doesn’t go straight to the dump);
• Deforestation – while paper production is not the primary cause of deforestation, in some parts of the world forests used for paper production are not managed sustainably.

According to the Zero Waste Organisation in New Zealand making paper with recycled rather than virgin content creates 74% less air pollution and 35% less water pollution. Also the Environmental Defense Fund has a nifty paper calculator which will show you the environmental impacts of your paper use.

So how can we reduce paper use?

• Being more conscious of the amount of paper you use and whether it is really necessary is the first step in reducing paper consumption.
• Think before you print. Don’t print an item unless you have to have a hard copy. When you do print choose double sided printing and copying. Train yourself to edit documents on screen so you don’t have to print draft copies.
• If you want some help with printing less there is software that gives you greater control over what parts of a document to print such as Green Print.
• Choose recycled paper for everything in your office from copy paper to business cards.
• Make sure paper is certified as chlorine free (TCF or PCF). Not all recycled paper is.
• Try to buy books and magazines printed on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper. The FSC is a non profit organisation that certifies responsible forestry. Better yet, get an eBook reader and forget the paper copy altogether.
• Give up the post it note addiction and go electronic.  There are a number of programs that will create sticky notes on your computer.
• Bill your customers electronically and request the bank send electronic statements.
• Reuse your paper in the office and send it for recycling when it has to be disposed of. Shredding paper shortens the paper fibres so reduces how often the paper can be recycled.
• You can put a one liner on your email asking people to think before they print. Is this likely to have a huge impact on world paper consumption – No, but it does help raise awareness of the issue. Remember though large footers on emails will increase the amount of paper used if the email is printed.

But doesn’ recycled paper cost more?

I haven’t checked every paper supplier in the world but generally yes recycled paper will be a little more expensive than the usual baseline paper but you can save money by reducing your overall paper consumption which will more than make up for the little bit extra you spend on recycled paper. Please leave a comment, I’d love to hear your ideas for reducing paper use.

Hi and welcome to the first post of Let’s Do It Green

Juggling my time between environmental consulting and a Master’s thesis in building energy efficiency, I often get asked how a small to medium sized business can afford to become more “green” to improve both its image and bottom line. Since the answers to this are many and varied depending on type of business and its goals, this blog is a place to discuss the range of green practices relevant to small to medium enterprises

To discuss the issues that are important to you, I need your feedback. Has your business got some great green practices you’d like to share? Or are you totally confused by the whole idea of going green? Post your comments so we can all learn from each other. I’ll be posting three times a week so be sure to stay up to date by subscribing either by email or via an RSS reader.

With that I officially launch this new blog. I look forward to our working together to come up with the best green practices for small to medium businesses.