Free Environmental Training for SME’s

Groundwork

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GROUNDWORK is offering FREE training in 2012 to help 1eligible SMEs reduce costs and work towards environmental accreditation:

Find out how to carry out a resource efficiency review for your company and identify savings opportunities; Kick-start your own Environmental Management System (EMS); Learn more about your legal requirements and how to minimise legal risks.

How this training has already helped other local SMEs

So far, 70 local businesses have collectively:

  • Saved £734,000

  • Increased sales by £8,900,000

  • Saved 23,000 tonnes of CO2e – the amount of carbon produced by 100 people flying around the world 8 times each

  • Diverted 35,000 tonnes of waste from landfill

  • Saved 96,457 litres of fuel - enough to drive around the planet 44 times

  • Saved 3,687,000 litres of water - enough to fill an Olympic swimming pool

Case Studies

As a result of participating in the training, Company A (a logistics company) have achieved accreditation to ISO 14001 by implementing the following initiatives:

  • Recycled 360 pallets a year, saving themselves £1080

  • Reduced their number of suppliers in order to reduce the number of deliveries

  • Initiated new ‘Empty Miles’ and ‘Green Load’ initiatives which have brought in an estimated £10,600 per annum

  • Minimised and segregated their waste streams resulting in a 67% reduction in waste, and paper savings equivalent to £300

They also plan to upgrade their vehicles and expect to reduce harmful emissions by 80%, and to install a water harvesting kit with estimated savings of 3900 litres of water per annum.

Company B (who produce a quick solution for insulated structural wall construction) now have an environmental policy, have increased compliance with legislation, improved skills, knowledge and competence in environmental management, and have self certified to Phase 1 of BS 8555. Their paper reduction actions alone have resulted in the following annual savings:

  • £1690 on printer ink cartridges

  • £4000 on paper and externally printed brochures

  • £300 on 10,000 envelopes

  • £3,000 on postage

Card and plastic packaging are also returned to the supplier for reuse.

To sign up, or for further information, please contact Katie Goldsmith at Groundwork on 0113 238 0601 or email katie.goldsmith@groundwork.org.uk.