The Green Business Charter
Our Planet – Our Business
The Green Business Charter is all about enabling micro businesses to showcase their green credentials.
Our Vision
To bring around a change in the environment through the collaboration of many businesses, bringing a sustainable future for our race, and our planet.
Our Mission
To provide businesses with a way of demonstrating their environmental and sustainable credentials, through a standard which is accepted by all. To help these businesses increase their profitability, while making a difference to the environment.
The Green Business Charter
We have a passion for the environment, but, also the small business sector. This is an area often forgotten about, or not catered for. Did you know that the micro-small business sector makes up 99.3% of the overall business community in the UK, that is 5.7M.
We all know that right now change is needed, but many sit back and think it is the governments who will make the change. This has never been the case; it is the will of the people which ignites change. Something which history shows us time and again.
Our statement at the head of the page rings so true ‘Our Planet – Our Business!
As business owners we all know that running a business in the current climate is hard enough, let alone being asked to try and do things which take our time, effort and money. The question comes back, “Why should I?”
How can the green business charter benefit you?
In business, we all want to be able to generate more business. You will have heard about the supply chain and how we need this to be greener. The problem faced is how do we as small businesses demonstrate our green credentials.
There is the ISO 14001, the only problem with this is the cost in time and money to attain. Then the time in maintaining. Not something a small business can achieve. Let’s be honest most businesses who do get it only use it as a paperwork exercise.
The green business charter looks at things differently, it says “We can show our credentials and we can be part of a solution”
It also says there is something in it for you though. It is about making change, but it is also about helping our businesses.
The Supply Chain
Quite often a smaller business does not see themselves as part of the main supply chain. So wrong! We play a major part in the chain. The problem faced which has always been the same is the engagement of the large to the small.
We talk about a green supply chain, when a contract is awarded, the business winning the tender has to have it’s ISO 14001. Within the supply chain though we have the SVA (Social Value Act) This is something that should be used as part of a contract award and provides the organization awarding the contract the ability to push for ‘X’ amount of the contract needing to go to local businesses. In honesty something which is not policed as there is no real way of doing this. Well, there was not, but, there is now.
Within the contract award, there is also the need for the supply chain to become greener. The problem has and will always be that small businesses cannot demonstrate certain qualifications. As we move forward the need for the supply chain to be green will increase.
Our Initiatives
As an organisation we are not for profit, initially, 91% of funds generated are put back into projects rising to 97.5%. The remaining percentage is used to administer and run the organisation.
We have a plan for the growth of a diverse system funded by businesses from the smaller sector which will make a difference. The model will be built and made available to all countries across the world, to bring in a joined-up solution for tackling a Global problem.
There are many fantastic initiatives being carried out, many by local people in their own backyard. We have seen tree planting and heard how you can offset your emissions by paying to plant a tree. All great stuff, we have slightly different views, but still totally aligned with the need to create bio-diverse habitats.
We want to help make a change for the environment while also helping businesses and therefore the local communities benefit. We want to encourage the growth of the business through a greener supply chain, so that each business that is part of the Charter, can help local businesses go greener. Remember everywhere is local and our environment needs everyone to be local.
Driving New Ideas
We want to challenge the status quo and look at new ideas, to help create and invigorate new industries, new opportunities, new jobs within a sustainable environment.
How can you help
This is a simple process, and what you are really doing is helping yourself. Acting as we do, it is not about money, it is not about shareholders and building wealth it is about supporting a challenge that we all must face now.
By choosing to partner up with us, we will promise to invest in areas, to help grow ideas that help the environment and invest these within the UK.
We appreciate it is a global problem and so we hope that by building a model in this great country and leading the way, we can enthuse others to follow the model and join together in a cooperative manner; all on a not for profit basis then the world can and will start to see changes.
Every little helps, as an individual it is hard to see how your offset can, as to you it may seem inconsequential. The truth is that each of those small offsets when joined together will make a massive difference.
Our Top Priorities
To provide opportunites supporting the green supply chain, encouraging those within to help make a difference by investing in the future of the environment and the future sustainability of their business.