easy ways to go GREEN

Easy means for SMEs to ‘go green’

Friday, July 09, 2010

‘Going green’ has become the latest fad that many businesses are seen to be leveraging of late, but for SMEs any upscaling option needs to be fuelled by availability of enough finance. Quite often SMEs give up on prospects of upgrading their processes, which can give them the eco-friendly tag, considering the associated high costs. Herein comes the need for inexpensive means of going green for SMEs. In this regard, Surya Prakash Loonker, chief operations officer at Catalyst, a social development consulting firm in New Delhi, says, “Even if SMEs cannot afford eco-friendly technologies because of financial constraints, it is essential that they practice some simple habits to reduce their contribution to global warming. They could contribute to conservation of paper, electricity and water by resorting to habits such as encouraging recycling, switching off machines after use and minimising excess usage of water in factories.” Getting an energy auditor to report on the energy usage in the unit is also an inexpensive way to save electricity, which can help SMEs to cut back on input costs. Resorting to the Internet to advertise products/services instead of using the newspaper medium is also an easy measure for SMEs to reduce paper consumption. According to Hitesh Jain, owner of Keshav Exports, a small-sized unit in Indore, which supplies and exports Indian spices, “Segregation of waste and making sure not to dump industrial waste is an inexpensive way for SMEs to undertake greening initiatives. Moreover, SMEs can also resort to usage of recycled paper bags or jute bags, thereby reducing plastic consumption.” By endeavouring to run green businesses with these easy solutions, SMEs will not just add to their corporate social responsibility profile, but also boost their brand image and significantly contribute to the society. Sreemita Bhattacharya

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