SMEs considering their ‘green’ options
More SMEs are considering the environmental impacts of their businesses as they look to cut unnecessary costs, according to a company that studies environmental and financial business risks.
AMEE provides intelligence for around 2.8 million UK businesses and said it has seen a surge in the number of SMEs engaging with its online platform during the last six months.
More than 1,000 SMEs have already updated their company profiles and checked their performance levels, according to the company’s chief executive Tyler Christie.
Each company receives a score between one and 100 based on their environmental performance, before they are then ranked against other companies of a similar size in the same sector.
It helps companies to develop plans for how best to improve factors such as carbon emissions and energy usage, which can have a major impact on business outlay.
Companies can also get their credit ratings reviewed, a valuable tool at a time when many companies are still recovering from the financial crisis.
The value of measuring business efficiency
Extra spending on energy can place additional financial strain on a company, and can lead to redundancies or even the need for complete restructuring in some instances.
The ability to measure business efficiency is important for companies as finding ways to cut energy bills can save a considerable amount over a long time period.
At the same time, it’s also possible to see examples of good practices, enabling businesses to tailor any reductions in costs to their liking, reducing any potential impacts on the running of the business.
Helping businesses to promote their green credentials is seen as a priority for AMEE, while the situation reflects the economy in the way that many companies are reassessing their finances prior to investing.
From cutting supply chain costs and the price of rent, to just turning off the lights, all savings represent further funds that can be poured into alternative areas of the business.
This in turn can help with product development, marketing, advertising and the everyday running of the businesses concerned.
By Phil Smith