Environmental analysis news: Businesses can take several steps to cut emissions

Businesses keen to boost their environmental credentials can cut their carbon emissions in a number of ways, it has been claimed.

Michael Webb, client services manager at Green Consultancy, said efficiency strategies vary from one organisation to another, depending on the individual needs of the business.

Some of the steps that can be taken to reduce waste include replacing old machinery with new, efficient models and investing in insulation and better lighting, he noted.

"Underpinning all of this is better monitoring of energy use - smart meters, sub meters, monitoring and targeting software - all of which helps identify precisely by area and by function how energy is being used and where opportunities for savings are," he commented.

However, Peter McManners, visiting executive fellow of Henley Business School at the University of Reading, stated that cutting carbon emissions is just one part of improving sustainability and said it should always form part of a larger strategy.

Written by Joseph Hutton