Martin Gibson of business adviser Envirowise said that there is a high level of awareness about environmental issues among the small and medium enterprises (SME) sector, but that many company owners still believe going green is expensive.

He conceded that some environmentally-friendly measures do result in businesses incurring an initial cost, but insisted that the resulting reduction in the use of resources was always accompanied by financial savings.

“There are many low or zero cost options that companies can take – up to 85 per cent of environmental initiatives do not cost anything at all,” added Mr Gibson, citing double sided printing as an effective way of reducing waste and saving money.

The Carbon Trust, the body set up by the government to promote the benefits of reduced carbon emissions to the business community, estimates that a company which reduces its energy usage by 20 per cent will see its profits receive a boost equivalent to sales growth of five per cent.

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