The BBC speaks to Martin Gibson, Director of Envirowise, about how small businesses can best implement environmental practices. He recommends a five step procedure, giving the example of waste management:
- Eliminate: avoid generating potential waste. For example, ask your suppliers to find ways of reducing the amount of packaging used or look at the possibility of employing re-usable packaging such as plastic crates.
- Reduce: think about the quantity of products you buy e.g. coffee. Buy in bulk where possible, and you will reduce the amount of waste packaging you produce.
- Re-use: there may be opportunities to re-use items normally thrown away after their initial use. Talk to your suppliers about supplying products in reusable containers.
- Recycle: once the amount of packaging has been reduced and re-used as much as possible, consider recycling waste materials. Speak to your Local Authority or waste disposal contractor.
- Dispose: you can even reduce the cost of disposing items that must be thrown away, by squashing boxes as flat as possible or breaking down bulky items.
BusinessWeek’s John Byrne and Ben Elgin on what made leading corporate sustainability advocate Auden Schendler change his tune about the profitability of environmentally friendly companies 
