Go green to boost your profits

As the global economic problems unravel, there has never been a better time for manufacturers across the Northwest to boost their profits by reducing their environmental impact.

That’s the message from ENWORKS which was established in 2001 to help businesses in this region become more resource efficient, reduce their carbon impact and increase their productivity.

But its free support for small and medium sized enterprises also enables companies to convert environmental pressures into competitive advantages.

And the bottom line is this - ENWORKS now helps Northwest businesses with annual cost savings of £115 million.

It has achieved this by helping businesses: cut their carbon dioxide emissions by 855,000 tonnes a year; slash the amount of water they use by 4.6 million cubic metres; while also reducing the amount of ‘other raw materials’ used by 3.1 million tonnes annually.

In addition, ENWORKS’s involvement with companies also helps divert 770,000 tonnes of waste from landfill each year.

It offers a combination of tailored on-site support, practical advice, training courses and access to individually tailored, fortnightly environmental email bulletins, all focused on creating ‘long-term cultural change’ throughout an organisation’s workforce.

ENWORKS’ director Todd Holden believes that it remains imperative for manufacturers to remember that ‘better resource efficiency means a healthier balance sheet’ during these uncertain economic times.

He said: "The pressure on business is greater than ever.

"Energy and material costs continue to escalate and economic instability is having a major impact on business growth.

"In this climate of uncertainty, there is a danger that companies revert to business as usual.

"This would be a wasted opportunity and a fatal mistake.

"When the pressure is on, it is those companies that can change and innovate by seeking to make savings through resource efficiency that will ultimately thrive."

Manufacturers operating in sectors including aerospace, automotive, textiles, biotechnology, chemicals, food and drink are currently among ENWORKS’ many clients.

ENWORKS is supported by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and operates through a partnership model, with a central management team based in Manchester co-ordinating a network of local and sector specific partner organisations delivering free support directly to businesses.

These partner organisations include: Chemicals Northwest; Cumbria Rural Enterprise Agency; Food Northwest; Groundwork Pennine Lancashire; Groundwork Oldham and Rochdale; Groundwork Manchester, Salford, Stockport, Tameside and Trafford; Groundwork Cheshire and Groundwork Merseyside.

Resource Efficiency

ENWORKS surveyed 2,001 companies based in the Northwest last year. Of these, 82 per cent - roughly 1,640 - said that ‘resource efficiency’ is important to them.

But only 33 per cent - or 660 - had made any efficiency improvements in their use of energy, materials or water in the previous 12 months.

The primary reasons for implementing improvements were reported as being 'to lower costs' (56 per cent), to become ‘more resource efficient’ (37 per cent) and 'to reduce waste' (15 per cent).

Mr Holden adds: "Our work enables companies to gain a competitive edge through environmental improvements.

"With the support of the Northwest Regional Development Agency, we have been able to work with thousands of companies to change their outlook and improve their performance.

"Our work delivers results for the businesses themselves, for the economy and for the environmental quality of the region.

"While the majority of companies actively want to implement resource efficiency programmes, many don’t realise just how easy it is to start making savings - and this is the main barrier holding them back."


Mr Holden said that there are various ‘straight-forward’ measures which manufacturers can implement to ensure bottom line savings.

The survey revealed that the top three types of ‘resource efficiency’ savings being made by companies in the Northwest are: 'using energy efficient products or appliances’ (29 per cent), 'increasing recycling' (28 per cent) and 'implementing energy saving initiatives such as turning off lights' (28 per cent).

Mr Holden adds: "Our work has also shown that for 58 per cent of the time, improvements in resource efficiency do not need companies to spend money.

"It’s also a good idea to engender a culture where employees understand their energy consumption and the impact that has on the environment.

"Admittedly, a lot of this has to do with bringing about behavioural changes - for many employees, it has been a matter of routine to turn electrical equipment on from the moment they arrive at work... they see it as part of their responsibilities.

"But what is most interesting to note is that, for most of the businesses we work with, the payback is instant.

"For those businesses which need to invest, 75 per cent see a payback within just 12 months of the efficiency initiative being implemented."

"The potential benefits for manufacturers across the Northwest speak for themselves - and I would encourage them to get in touch with us now for more information."