Apr 13 - McClatchy-Tribune Regional News - Jenny Little Financial Mail on Sunday, London

Businesses that want to become more green, be more efficient and at the same time boost their image, could find our new, streamlined carbon calculator, which launches today, invaluable. Financial Mail joined the CarbonNeutral Company last year to create the online tool that allows businesses to calculate their carbon footprints, reduce their impact on the environment and then offset whatever carbon remains.

The tool has now been further improved to make it even easier for businesses to use.

Sam Neal is one company owner who has seen the real business benefits of reducing the carbon waste of his direct mail printing firm, Geoff Neal Litho, based in Feltham, Middlesex.

Managing director Sam, 30, was provoked into looking at making the company's processes more green when customers began to insist that they would deal only with companies that were carbon neutral.

Sam calculated the firm's carbon footprint and sought help from CarbonNeutral to reduce its electricity usage and waste.

"You don't get back all the money you spend on changing processes through cost savings. Some of it is made up from new business when clients choose you because of your green credentials," says Sam.

"We've found that the more environmental we get, the better our business is. We understand what's happening and where."

Research from the Federation of Small Businesses found that 92 per cent of small businesses consider themselves to be environmentally responsible, with 83 per cent already engaged in waste minimisation and recycling.

Sue Welland, founder and creative director of CarbonNeutral, says: "Measuring and reducing your CO2 is incredibly straightforward and the results can be instant, saving businesses money as well as helping to protect the environment.

"Why wouldn't you do it?" To find out what a business's carbon footprint is, owners will have to collect data about how they operate.

This includes measuring the square footage of the workplace, gauging annual electricity, gas and oil consumption, what nonrecyclable waste the business produces, fuel consumption of work vehicles and the annual commuting distance of staff.

This information can be fed into the online calculator to see where most CO2 emissions are being generated.

The next stage is either to offset any carbon waste by investing in environmental schemes, or to call in a CarbonNeutral auditor to assess how the business could create less CO2.

FYI

For more information visit http://www.carbonneutral.com/businesscarboncalculator .