Improve your environmental performance

Resources that will help you improve your environmental performance.

• The Environment Agency

  This website provides advice on how to reduce waste, save water and prevent pollution.

  You can also find guidance on environmental issues relevant to different business sectors as well as sector-specific information on complying with regulation.

• NetRegs

  Here you can access free environmental guidance for SME's in the UK on how to save money and understand what you need to do to comply with environmental law.

Write an environmental policy

• Business Link

  Useful step by step guide on how to write an environmental policy

• Special EU Programmes

  A useful download-and-save PDF written by the Special EU Programmes body on how to write an environmental policy

• Envirowise

  Envirowise delivers free, independent advice to UK businesses with the aim of reducing their environmental impact and reduce their costs

Carbon footprinting

• Carbon Trust

  The Carbon Trust's online calculator can help you to calculate your carbon footprint, based on your company's energy bill and sector.

It also provides detailed sector specific advice on how to reduce your footprint

The merits of being low-carbon
In this article for ICAEW's Finance and Management Faculty magazine, we explain the case for developing a low-carbon economy as a means of mitigating the effects of climate change and explore the market for carbon trading {link to article}.

Recycling

• Business Link

  This provides a quick list of actions your business can take to reduce and recycle waste.

• Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP)

  This website has a useful collection of information sheets to download about recycling paper ranging from different recycling definitions, information about how to acknowledge your use of recycled paper and how to get paper collected from your office.

Measure and report on environmental issues

• Good Practice Guide on Environmental Management Accounting

  Envirowise' practical guide offers practical tips and guidance for those preparing financial reports, users of the reports auditors, and company directors.

  Reporting on Environmental issues in annual financial statements: a practice guide for report preparers, users and auditors

  This joint publication from The Environment Agency and ICAEW offers an easy to read but thorough guide to reporting on environmental factors.

• Environmental Key Performance Indicators: Reporting Guidelines for UK Business

  This publication written by Defra offers detailed guidance on how to report on their environmental performance, defining which KPI's are most relevant to which sectors and sets out the business rationale for using this method.

• Measurement and Reporting

  Go to our measurement and reporting pages to find out how more about reporting frameworks, KPI's and assuring sustainability information.

• Report Alert

  If you need some inspiration, this website provides alerts as new sustainability reports are launched.