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Small businesses against global warming

Is your business ‘green’? Research says small businesses are taking climate change seriously

Global warming is the existential crisis at our front door. Unprecedented greenhouse gas emissions saw 2016 burn through heat records, and this year is set to be the hottest since records began 122 years ago.

Incoming US President Donald Trump – taking the helm of the world’s largest economy and second largest emitter of greenhouse gases – can’t be counted on to help reverse the effects of climate change. During his election campaign he vowed to “cancel” the Paris Agreement.

Small businesses

Thankfully though, the small businesses of the UK are doing their bit.

New research from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) showed that micro businesses are the unsung heroes of the war on climate change:

• 86% of small firms believe the UK is too reliant on imported energy
• 1 in 10 small businesses are energy generators
• 40% of small businesses use energy efficient lights
• 23% have switch off/turn down policies in place
• 23% have improved insulation on site

The Global Business Coalition

Business owners looking to reduce their carbon footprint should familiarise themselves with the Global Business Coalition (previously known as the B20 Coalition). They represent small businesses at the epicentre of the climate change taskforce.

The Global Business Coalition brings together 6.8 million businesses worldwide reports directly into the G20 efforts to tackle global warming.

At the Coalition’s recent conference in Berlin, calls were made to streamline small business perspectives into issue areas and bigger businesses were encouraged to collaborate with smaller ones in strategic efforts to be more eco-friendly.

What you can do

To stay abreast on climate change news for small businesses, read the Global Business Coalition’s online newsletter.

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