GuestBlog: It doesn’t apply to me!

This is a comment I often hear when I’m talking to small businesses about social and environmental responsibility. There seems to be a misconception that unless you are a big company with premises and employing lots of people, none of this “responsible” stuff applies.

And yet, these very same people often have very strong personal values and are very committed to building their business. It is a very strange paradox.

So, let’s just take a fictional sole proprietor Rosemary working from home as, say, a web designer.

Can Rosemary make any difference to society and the environment?

Of course she can! OK, so it might be quite small, but pro-rata per person it counts just as much as the changes a big business can make.

Put this in perspective: there are over 3 million sole proprietor businesses in the UK. If each of those business owners makes small changes in reducing their environmental impact……..multiply that by 3,000,000…….. that is a HUGE amount of carbon reduction. Oh – and cost saving too! And that should never be forgotten: virtually every carbon reduction action results in reduced overheads and increased profits. This is the win: win situation we really want small businesses to think about.

And we mustn’t forget social responsibility. The sole proprietor can make a difference there too.

Back to Rosemary. What little things can she do to make a difference? Changes that benefit people and the environment and also benefit Rosemary’s business:

• Turn the thermostat down.

In the colder months, add an extra layer of clothing and keep your thermostat at 19°C. Did you know each time you increase the temperature by just one degree this could add as much as 10% to your heating cost? And make sure you are not heating rooms all day that are not in use.

• Making a cuppa?

Choose a kettle with “cup” markers and only boil as much water as you need. You’ll be amazed at how much electricity a kettle uses.

• Turn it off!

Turn of all lights, computers, monitors, printers and any other equipment when not in use.

• Toners and Ink Cartridges

Many toners contain chemicals that are hazardous to the environment. Refillables are excellent quality, are much cheaper and considerably reduce environmental impact.

• Office supplies

Rosemary doesn’t buy a lot of products, but even with basic office supplies such as stationery, printing, tea and coffee, loo rolls etc she could choose the Fair Trade and environmental options.

• Health, safety and risk assessment

Rosemary doesn’t have any employees but she still needs to consider health and safety including her own. She should do a risk assessment, particularly if clients sometimes visit the offices. If they tripped over a loose carpet and hurt themselves Rosemary could be liable. The risk assessment doesn’t need to be complex and doesn’t have to be written, although we would recommend it is.

• Get involved

Getting involved with the community, maybe supporting a local charity, will not only make Rosemary feel good but will also raise her business profile.

And most important?

Really, it is all about mindset. Rosemary does care about people and the environment. Once she acknowledges that she can bring these values into her business she will start to be more conscious about all the little things that can make a difference. She will start to seek out like minded people and encourage others to think in the same way.

And together, we can all make a difference that will have a positive impact on both society and our own businesses.

Jill Poet

Organisation for Responsible Businesses (ORB)

www.orbuk.org

www.TheResponsibleBusinessDirectory.co.uk

jill@orbuk.org

01702 468387