Many companies throughout the UK understand the real business benefits that can be gained by reducing resource use. Here are just two:

BGB Engineering Ltd - a high precision electro mechanical engineering company. 

Established in 1976 as a manufacturer of carbon brush holders, the business progressed into the production of electrical slip rings during the 1980’s.  Whilst BGB continues to supply both brush holders and slip rings as standard component parts, today’s core activity is the design and manufacture of specialised slip ring solutions. BGB attended WindSupply regional workshops, giving them a broader perspective of the whole wind energy market. As a result, they have exhibited at major European Wind Fairs and Conferences for the last 3 years on WindSupply organised UK stands including the recent UK Pavilion at Hamburg.  They have also received one-to-one advice.   

The results:

The whole process has helped BGB gain more complete coverage of the Wind Energy Market, and introductions to new business.   Wind Energy growth has supported engineering employment opportunities in an area otherwise in decline, and has added to the need for the new and larger factory premises now being completed.  Global market orders have been achieved, they are now the major supplier of slip rings to Vestas and other turbine manufacturers, a new factory and extended facilities and services have been developed and jobs have been saved and new jobs created.   

Fosters Bakery – based in Barnsley, South Yorkshire with 216 employees, the bakery has made a commitment to the local rural economy by contracting to buy flour milled from locally sourced wheat for the next 3 years. This gives local farmers confidence to grow bread making wheat and reduces the food miles for the bakery’s products.  It now makes about 1 million items of bread and cake products per week for supermarkets, hotels & restaurants, airlines and for sandwich suppliers. They want to reduce costs by having a more efficient supply chain (and share the savings), ensure continuity of supplies of raw material and feel better by doing the right thing. They have long standing recycling practices involving plastics, metals, food waste, paper, cardboard, motor parts, toner cartridges, mobile phones, wood pallets, energy saving policies including lighting, heating, transport, minimisation of packaging in products and local sourcing of majority of raw materials, in particularly flour from local wheat farmers. 

The Results: 

Boots the Chemist launched a range of sandwiches made on our bread because it reduced the carbon footprint. Boots were so impressed that they put the bakery’s name on the packaging and told the story about the more environmentally friendly bread.  They make £7500 of extra sales per week on the Boots bread.

• Consumers have an enormous variety of services and products available to them. Positioning yourself correctly in their eyes could be the difference between huge success and a falling demand. For example, 2007 saw a 37% collapse in the patio heater market due to growing public concern of their use.
• The physical availability of some resources will result in increase in price. This could impact your own pricing policy, and affect the commercial viability of your business or that of your suppliers. 
• MORI Social Research Survey in 2007 showed that 45% of people believe that concern for the environment must be a key focus for businesses over the next few years. 
• McKinsey’s ‘Societal Issues’ Survey in 2007 showed that 51% of people believe that environmental issues including climate change will be the top societal issue gaining most public and political attention over the next 5 years.
• 66% of the public surveyed wanted to know the carbon footprint of products and 67% said the information would influence their purchasing decision.  Source: The Carbon Trust 2006.
• Even with economic uncertainty a UK concerned consumer poll showed that 69% said that they would still buy the most ethical and environmentally friendly product they could find – even if it meant paying a little extra. Source – Populus Feb ’08.