A growing number of businesses are finding that improving their environmental performance is leading to surprising benefits. In addition to legal compliance, pollution prevention and continual improvement, these include reduced waste, lower utility bills, better processes, improvements in PR and increased profits.

There are a number of organisations/initiatives that can help your business become ‘greener':

The Carbon Trust works with businesses and other organisations to reduce carbon emissions and develop commercial low carbon technologies. Services include help to reduce energy costs.

The Energy Saving Trust provides information on reducing your fuel costs through improving the energy efficiency of your business. Also includes information on cutting motoring costs.

Envirowise offers energy saving and environmental advice for the next generation of UK businesses.

Bedfordshire Green Business Network (GBN) offers free advice and support on how your organisation can cut its overheads through better resources efficiency, information can be obtained online and an operative from GBN can be arranged to carry out a site/premises diagnosis.

Manufacturing Advisory Service provides manufacturing businesses with expert advice to deliver measurable improvements by helping improve performance and productivity.

National Industrial Symbiosis Programme identifies mutually profitable links between member companies so that previously unused, under utilised or discarded resources from one are recovered, reprocessed or reused by others. Membership is free regardless of company size, turnover or sector.

Waterwise is an independent, not for profit organisation focused on decreasing water consumption in the UK and building the evidence base for large-scale water efficiency. Provides information and assistance to households, businesses, the media and the government.