At last there seems to be more than lip service being paid sustainability and other so called ‘green’ issues in the corporate boardroom. Led by the example of organisations like the Cooperative Group, which has demonstrated sometimes unfashionable eco awareness across decades when it was regarded as a fad, rather than a core issue, we are now seeing sustainability on the agenda of most corporates.

The quality accreditation ISO 14001 (first published in 1996) specified the requirements for an environmental management system and it relates to those environmental aspects which the organization has control over, and which it can be expected to influence.

In the last few years Green Taxes have been an important part of the Chancellor’s annual budget speech and environmental factors are increasingly being used to justify amendments to the Government tax policy. However businesses need clear understanding as to whether there are there significant tax advantages to be gained.

For example, opportunities exist for companies undertaking research and development into new clean technologies to benefit from Government incentives. Tax breaks are available to an Investor wanting to fund emerging technologies and many businesses implementing a green procurement policy can be both environmentally friendly and save tax.

So whether your business environmental stance is all round sustainability, renewable energy, low carbon emission, manufacturing sustainable products or working towards a quality assurance standard, expert external advice can add value to your decision making in this, fast moving arena.

From our base in Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire, Harwood Hutton uses its long standing expertise in environmental business issues to deliver high level intervention to clients across all areas of the sector and, geographically, into West London, across to Reading and north to Oxford and beyond.