 Cedar Press have saved thousands of pounds by recycling |
Running a business can bring plenty of headaches - there isn't always time to think about the future of the planet.
But going green isn't as difficult as it might sound, and it can be easy to make a big difference to a company's environmental impact for a minimal outlay.
Cedar Press is a small family printing firm at Southborough near Tunbridge Wells.
It decided to get serious about green issues a year ago.
"I had been brought up to recycle everything anyway and I could see that some of our waste was just going into a landfill site," explains Stuart Smith, whose father started the company in 1986.
Simple measures
"You do these things at home so it's only natural to implement them in your business as well."
Waste paper is now recycled. When customers change their logos or addresses, the old stationery is collected and turned into notepads for use by local schools and charities.
Cedar Press has introduced other measures:
Toner cartridges are recycled, with profits going to Scope. The amount of alcohol used in the printing process has been reduced by 20%. Silver and aluminium from printing plates is recycled. Unwanted computers are sent to a charity. The business has now halved the amount of waste that goes to landfill sites.
And all the green measures have added up to a total saving of �2,000 a year for the business.
 Company Director Stuart Smith is the force behind the Cedar Press's environmental policies |
"The majority of the savings we have made have really been through education," says Stuart. "It's quite a lot of money for a small business like ours, especially in such a competitive industry as this.
"And it's a good way to say thank you to the local community."
But it's also an ongoing process.
"We're always looking at new ways and are now recycling mobile phones from the works," adds Stuart.
Any business looking to improve its green credentials will find plenty of help available.
Stuart discovered a wealth of information on the internet, but there are also councils and other organisations around the country with schemes to help companies.
It can be surprisingly easy for a medium-sized company to cut costs by �5,000 - �10,000.
Try bodies such as Envirowise, Action Energy or the Business Environment Partnership in Scotland.
And there are often local clubs and networks and even eco-friendly business parks.
But often the simplest way to make a start is to apply some of the principles you'd use at home to cut costs.
Switching off lights in empty rooms and corridors can save 15% of the energy bill. Don't heat spaces you don't use. Clean light fittings so more light can get through - and don't use bulbs that are too bright. Keep windows closed in cold weather. If workers get too warm, turn the heating down. 
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