Royston Crow

29 September 2011

Green is the new black!

10 years ago the image of green was somewhat different. When we started our business people had images of hippies, vegetarians, anti-nuclear protests and climate change extremists. Green or ethically sourced products were either a compromise or at a premium. Think recycled toilet paper or organic food.

Happily that’s no longer the case. The green agenda has become mainstream and green really is, The New Black. Consumers demand green and ethical products that are of equal quality and in times of recession value for money become an additional driver.

Can businesses go green and stand out in their market. In this column we’ll cover how our business is green, why being green is not only the right thing to do but a business necessity and how you still need to differentiate to stay ahead.

Our business is green to the core. We supply 100% green and renewable electricity to homes and business across the UK allowing them to reduce their carbon footprint at a stroke. We buy from some unexpected sources like growing tomatoes, capturing the gas from pig waste, waste vegetable oil and even skip waste and rubbish. This is in addition to the more well-known renewable sources like wind, solar and free falling water.

Buying green electricity and being as green as possible in the way we conduct our business isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s common sense. We all want a safe secure future for ourselves, our children and our children’s children. It’s not about climate change per se, for us it’s also about security of energy supply. The more self-sufficient the UK becomes the less likely that we can be held to ransom by unstable parts of the world or by prices rises in wholesale gas and oil.

Going green might be common sense but it isn’t a ‘nice to do’ in today’s environment; it’s a business necessity. Customers vote with their feet. They expect businesses to be responsible and be taking steps to reduce their impact on the environment. And if you don’t, customers will shop elsewhere.