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Green Business Resources

Sustainability is becoming increasingly important for businesses of all sizes. Adopting greener business practices can help reduce operating costs, improve efficiency, strengthen your reputation with customers, and support West Oxfordshire's journey towards a more sustainable future. 

Whether you're just starting out or looking to build on existing initiatives, there is a wide range of free advice, funding opportunities, tools and resources available to help your business take practical action.

Business Sustainability Support 

  • Enterprise Oxfordshire provides free sustainability and net zero resources for local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through its dedicated Net Zero Portal to help businesses reach net zero emissions by 2050

  • Low Carbon Hub: Oxfordshire businesses can access free energy assessments through Energy Solutions Oxfordshire, helping to identify opportunities to reduce energy costs, improve efficiency and cut carbon emissions. Businesses may also be able to explore community-funded solar PV installations for their premises.

  • Business Climate Hub: Access free, practical sustainability advice tailored to SMEs, including sector-specific guidance, energy-saving tips, quick wins, funding opportunities and tools to help reduce costs, improve efficiency and build resilience. Explore business planning tools, sustainability resources and real-life case studies showing how other SMEs have cut energy use, reduced costs and taken steps towards net zero.

  • Step Zero: A free platform that helps businesses and community organisations create tailored sustainability action plans, with practical guidance, cost and savings estimates, resources, and opportunities to share resources and collaborate on sustainable purchasing.  

 

Learning and Best Practice

  • Sustain Lab: Access free sustainability guides, articles, webinars and case studies covering ESG reporting, carbon management and practical sustainability improvements for businesses. You can also explore practical insights, best practice guidance and real-world examples to help your business understand sustainability reporting and identify opportunities to improve environmental performance. 

  • Willow Review: Sustainability in Action: Explore real-world case studies from UK small businesses showing how practical sustainability measures can reduce costs, attract customers and support business growth, alongside a simple five-point sustainability action plan.

  • Cotswolds Sustainability Champions Explore free case studies, forum recordings and practical examples from tourism businesses that are successfully implementing sustainable practices, helping others learn what works and apply similar approaches in their own operations. 

Improving energy efficiency is often one of the quickest ways to reduce both costs and carbon emissions. Consider: 

  • Switching to LED lighting 
  • Improving insulation 
  • Installing smart controls and meters 
  • Reviewing heating and cooling systems 
  • Encouraging energy-saving behaviours among staff 
  • Host a Solar PV Array (Low Carbon Hub): Businesses and organisations with suitable roof space can host a community-funded solar PV system at no upfront cost, benefiting from lower energy costs while supporting local carbon reduction projects. 
  • Improve water efficiency: You could consider fixing leaks promptly, installing water-efficient fittings, monitoring usage and reducing water use in processes and cleaning More info at: https://waterwise.org.uk/how-to-save-water/
      

Useful resources: 

Energy Saving Trust: https://energysavingtrust.org.uk 
Carbon Trust advice: https://www.carbontrust.com 

Climate resilience means preparing your business to cope with more extreme weather patterns and recover from disruption. Heatwaves, flooding, storms, and water shortages can affect your premises, staff, suppliers, and customers. Consider which risks are most relevant to your location and operations, then plan practical steps such as keeping buildings cool, protecting equipment and stock from flooding, reducing water use and agreeing how you will keep essential services running during extreme weather. 

Useful resources:  

Climate risk in Oxfordshire: Understand how changing weather could affect local businesses and find further resources for assessing climate risks. 

Prepare your business for flooding (Environment Agency): Check your flood risk and use the business flood plan checklists to prepare your premises and operations. GOV.UK 

Managing workplace temperatures (Health and Safety Executive): Find practical steps to protect staff and manage indoor working conditions during hot weather. 

Water efficiency in business (Waterwise): Find practical ways to measure and reduce water use at work, identify leaks and use water more efficiently, helping to lower costs and prepare for periods of water shortage. 

Businesses can play an important role in supporting nature recovery across West Oxfordshire and helping to deliver the Government's 30 by 30 ambition to protect and restore nature by 2030. To learn more about local priorities, funding opportunities and how private investment can help deliver Oxfordshire's nature recovery ambitions, explore the Oxfordshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS), the Oxfordshire Local Nature Partnership's Nature Finance resources, and West Oxfordshire District Council's Nature Recovery Plan and Biodiversity Duty Report.

Reducing waste can lower disposal costs and improve operational efficiency. Actions to consider: 

  • Minimise single-use products and review packaging requirements 
  • Increase recycling facilities 
  • Reuse Networks: If replacing furniture, equipment or IT, consider donating, selling or reusing items before disposal to reduce waste and support local communities. 
  • Work with suppliers to reduce waste throughout the supply chain 

Useful resources:  

Business of Recycling (WRAP): Access free recycling guides, waste calculators, action plan templates, workplace communications materials and sector-specific advice to help your business reduce waste, improve recycling rates and comply with recycling regulations. 

Simpler Recycling - workplace recycling in England (Defra): Check which recycling rules apply to your business, including how to separate dry recyclables, food waste and non-recyclable waste, and the deadline for micro-firms. 

Commercial waste guidance (Oxfordshire County Council): Find out how to dispose of business waste responsibly, including your duty of care and why household recycling centres cannot be used for commercial waste. 

Supporting greener travel can reduce emissions and improve employee wellbeing. Ideas include: 

  • Cycle-to-work schemes: allows UK businesses to provide bikes and safety equipment to employees tax-free through a salary sacrifice arrangement.
     
  • Electric vehicle charging facilities: Installing business electric vehicle (EV) charging facilities can attract customers, support employee fleets, and generate extra revenue. The Workplace Charging Scheme is a government grant that helps eligible businesses, charities and public sector organisations install electric vehicle charge points, covering up to 75% of installation costs (up to £500 per socket)
     
  • Hybrid and remote working where appropriate: ACAS provides free guidance and templates to help employers develop effective home and hybrid working policies, supporting employee wellbeing, flexible working and reduced commuting-related emissions.
     
  • Sustainable Travel Leave: You can use free HR templates and guidance from Sustainable Travel Leave to give staff extra paid days off when they choose slow land or sea transport over flying 

Welcoming Car-Free Visitors to the Cotswolds Toolkit: A practical guide for tourism businesses, offering advice and resources to help visitors travel to and around the Cotswolds by public transport, walking and cycling, supporting more sustainable tourism.  

Businesses can make a positive impact through purchasing decisions. Consider: 

  • Buying local where possible 
  • Choosing suppliers with strong environmental credentials 
  • Reducing packaging and transport impacts 
  • Purchasing durable, repairable and reusable products 

Useful resources: 

Sustainable Procurement Toolkit: https://sustainabilityadvantage.com/sp/toolkit/  
Good Business Charter: https://goodbusinesscharter.com/responsible-business-benchmark/  

From time to time, grant funding and business support schemes become available to help businesses invest in sustainability improvements. We encourage businesses to: 

Oxfordshire Greentech: A membership network connecting businesses, organisations and innovators involved in sustainability and clean growth, offering events, collaboration opportunities, industry news and access to expertise across the green economy. 

West Oxfordshire Climate Action: Explore the Council's climate action priorities, local initiatives, practical sustainability guidance and opportunities to reduce carbon emissions while supporting a greener future for West Oxfordshire. 

Zero Carbon Oxfordshire Partnership (ZCOP): Explore how businesses, organisations and local authorities are working together to cut carbon emissions across Oxfordshire, including the partnership’s priorities, projects and resources.

VisitBritain's latest regulatory update explains new rules aimed at tackling greenwashing and strengthening consumer confidence in environmental claims. Businesses should ensure that any sustainability-related marketing claims are accurate, evidence-based and capable of being substantiated.

Still have questions? Please reach out to the Economic Development Team:  

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