Small businesses lack support needed to go green says FSB
Small firms feel that energy efficiency can provide their business with cost savings but said they need the Government to put systems and business support incentives in place to help, according to the findings of a Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) survey of 10,000 members.
The survey found that 57 per cent of businesses believe that energy efficiency can provide their business with cost savings but they said that there is insufficient advice for small firms to help them understand the role they can play in the transition to a low carbon economy.
More than half (57%) have changed the way the business operates because of concerns about climate change. Nearly half (47%) of businesses surveyed have recycled waste with 32 per cent reducing energy use and 24 per cent buying energy efficient appliances.
The FSB is calling on the Government to introduce three measures to help small businesses be more environmentally friendly:
- An effective smart meter rollout that meets the needs of small businesses
- Setting commercially viable rates for Feed-In tariffs for micro-renewable energy facilities
- Extending the scope of the Carbon Trust loans programme for small businesses
Nicky Goringe Larkin, Chair of the Reading & West Berkshire branch of the FSB said: “With the start of the Carbon Reduction Commitment on Thursday 1 April – a mandatory carbon emissions trading scheme for large businesses – small firms are worried that similar tough measures will be forced upon them in the future. In reality, many businesses want to become more environmentally friendly but don’t feel they have the support to do so.
“The FSB believes that the Government needs to give small businesses the incentive to proactively embrace the low carbon agenda rather than force them through heavy handed regulation. We are calling for more tailored advice and support for SME’s so that businesses can maximise energy efficiency and the use of smart metering. It is also important that local recycling infrastructures be put in place to better meet the needs of local businesses that perhaps don’t meet the high levels needed to take advantage of commercial recycling facilities.”