How the Royal Bank of Scotland can help your business reduce energy costs
Director and consultant Michael Minter, who launched Mortgage Steps more than 18 years ago, said the Carbon Planner tool is “a breeze” compared to the multitude of programs and websites he uses to help clients.
“The Carbon Planner is really very easy to use. It took me just a few minutes to fill them out and then start receiving suggestions on how we could run a greener business,” he said.
“It really gets you thinking about your business, your carbon footprint and what you can do about it. We’re not a gas-guzzling company, but the tailored report still came out with suggestions that we’re already adopting.”
Mr Minter, who founded the company with his wife Karen, said they are now printing fewer documents on paper, discussing ways to reduce mileage and making sure their office is as energy efficient as possible.
He added: “We have a low carbon footprint and our office is well insulated so we did reasonably well.
“But we have a lot of plain paper in the office, it’s such a waste. Businesses print out documents out of habit when everything is stored on computers. We stopped this immediately and are looking at how we can reduce mileage by making more use of Teams (video) meetings. It’s all about small steps.
“The Carbon Planner tool keeps us constantly thinking about how we can adapt. I would recommend other companies to use it.”
The Carbon Planner tool was developed using climate-specific insights and feedback from more than 2,000 companies.
It guides the user through a series of questions, measures, scores and generates a list of recommendations that could help the company improve its carbon footprint through better insights.
CEO Christine Bhatt, owner and manager of Systematics, a company that provides expert market intelligence for industries like agriculture and construction, praised the Royal Bank for “doing the right thing and raising public awareness.”
She founded her company in 2007 with husband Manuel. The small but dedicated team works with clients across the world, but they’ve adapted over the years to reduce their carbon footprint by reducing international and domestic travel.
“All business owners want to measure what they’re doing to make sure they’re going in the right direction,” Ms Bhatt said. “The Carbon Planner tool enabled us to do that and then came back with a few recommendations.”
The advice mainly related to hybrid working models, which the company has already adopted, and encouraged employees to switch to electric vehicles where possible.
Ms Bhatt, who drives an electric car, added: “We have staff in our paperless office three days a week – to innovate and collaborate – but our team has the option to work from home the other two days to reduce its carbon footprint and ensure a better work-life balance.”
Solange Chamberlain, Chief Operating Officer for Commercial and Institutional at Royal Bank of Scotland, added: “We must help UK businesses meet the challenges we face today, without falling behind on the sustainability actions that will ultimately lead us to a cleaner, greener future become.
Sign up now FREE to find out what suggestions the Carbon Planner has to reduce your company’s inefficiencies and costs.
Find out more about mortgage levels and systematics at: https://www.mortgagesteps.co.uk/
https://www.heraldscotland.com/business_hq/23386166.businesses-reduce-carbon-footprint-rbs-carbon-planner/?ref=rss How the Royal Bank of Scotland can help your business reduce energy costs
