Let us show you…
how we support your small business to achieve its environmental sustainability goals

Did you know that SMEs contribute to 35% of the UK’s carbon emissions? While COP26 and ongoing environmental topics are hot news, rules and regulations for businesses have been in play for some time. Clearly though, new restrictions and guidelines are upcoming. How will you handle keeping on top of your sustainability commitments while also managing the core elements of your business?

As expert Virtual Assistants based in North Yorkshire, we have numerous years of experience behind us. We have worked across a wide range of industries and dealing with sustainability policies and procedures and setting up new initiatives are not new to us. There is a good reason why businesses employ our services to help them get on top of and keep on top of their sustainability goals. Here are some of the ways in which we can help:

Ensuring compliance

It is important to remember that businesses need to adhere to national and local regulations. The right VA will be able to research local council area rules, as well as national compliance so that all boxes are ticked. Businesses found to not be compliant may face fines and restrictions, not to mention attracting poor PR.

Helping you fund your green initiatives

You may have already made some changes to your building and to the way that your business works to reduce your carbon footprint. Did you know that many areas offer green funding and support via local initiatives aimed at businesses reducing their carbon footprint? Grant research as well as contacting local and national groups for this kind of advice and support is a task a VA will willingly undertake, cutting out a lot of the work and perhaps even saving some money in the process.

Communicating new requirements

The stock, materials and other consumables a business uses vary depending on the sector and the function of the enterprise. A VA can contact your suppliers and vendors to discuss options for these items which fit within green policies and adhere to new environmental compliance.

Arranging quotes for work

You may need to make physical changes to your workplace, such as upgrading outdated equipment to more energy-efficient alternatives or optimising heating and air cooling. We are often tasked with arranging quotes for work to be done and doing due diligence for companies that want to complete these projects. These are tasks that take up time but are necessary and can easily be delegated to a VA.

Streamlining policies and procedures

While many businesses will, over time, be required to make changes to their manufacturing processes, vehicles etc, smaller scale, in-house yet no less important changes will also be required. Changes such as increasing recycling, going paper-free and getting rid of waste practices all add up to reduce your environmental impact and meet your green workplace requirements.

As experienced VAs, we can create in-house policies and liaise with staff to ensure everyone is on the same page. These policies also need to be regularly reviewed and updated to comply with the most recent rules and regulations. This is another task that Business Owl Virtual Assistants are used to taking on.

In summary

Whether you are just starting in terms of making your business more environmentally friendly or have travelled a fair way down that path already, we can help. From a legal, financial and ethical point of view there is much for most businesses to do but as you know, time is a precious commodity and not an endless resource. Outsourcing a large portion of these tasks makes good business sense.

Are you ready?

This article was written by Jen Workman, VA and Founder of Business Owl. We are expert Virtual Assistants based in North Yorkshire. We support the legal sector, small businesses and entrepreneurs nationally. To discuss how we can provide bespoke support for you and your business, please contact us for a complimentary chat on 07970 955535 or at jen@businessowl.co.uk.