Josh Gill, CEO at Everflow, the UK’s first carbon neutral water provider, tackles some of the myths that can get in the way of progress for SMEs that need to boost their sustainability credentials.
“SMEs don’t play a part”
SMEs account for 99.9% of the UK’s business population – that’s 5.6 million businesses. Clearly then, they have a significant role to play in reducing the UK’s overall carbon emissions. The good news is that SMEs are often more agile than larger corporates – this can make implementing cause-led change easier, with less bureaucracy to deal with.
“Water is irrelevant”
While it makes sense that energy dominates the conversation when it comes to assessing which utilities impact the environment the most, water should not be forgotten. Water accounts for around 5%of carbon emissions in the UK. This is a serious figure – we cannot afford to leave water by the wayside and neglect the need to cut down associated emissions.
“Tackling a water footprint is complicated”
There are a variety of actions SMEs can take to decrease their water usage and drive to net zero. This includes educating employees about water-saving initiatives and doing the simple things – turning off taps, for example. Believe it or not, a dripping tap will waste approximately 60 litres of water a week.
On top of this, it would be well advised for SMEs to review the environmental credentials of their water suppliers. Do they take measures to offset their supply chain – alongside their customers’ supply chains? Do they consider their own business emissions? Do they support their third parties for services such as meter reading, debt collection and changes of tenancy in reducing their own emissions? The top line – be selective about your water supplier.
“Offsetting is the way forward”
The idea that all offsets are good offsets is perhaps the biggest myth of them all. This is not the case. It’s crucial to ensure that SMEs buy ‘the right’ offsets. Doing so isn’t as straightforward as many may think which is why it’s important to carefully research to find the right ones for your business and for the environment and local community. At Everflow, we’re considering a partnership with local farmers to access funding to start carbon offset projects which we can claim as credits in future.
Despite what many may think, businesses don’t need to choose between offsetting or reducing carbon emissions. They can offset even if they haven’t reduced emissions down to the minimum. At Everflow, offsetting enables our customers to reduce their carbon footprints for water services. Additionally, buying offsets allows us to support a renewable energy project whilst gaining a better understanding of our own footprint.
Myth busting
It’s unsurprising that there are a variety of myths surrounding sustainable business practices but, if businesses do their research properly, their changes can make a genuinely positive mark. The climate crisis isn’t going anywhere and thinking about how your business can do its part is a great first step in making a difference.
For more information about how businesses can get water use to net zero, visit everflowwater.com
