It’s that time of year, when Business Link Magazine invites the region’s business leaders to offer up their predictions for the year ahead.
It has become something of a tradition, given that we’ve been doing this now for over 30 years.
Here we speak to Ian Short, Managing Director of Morley Glass, a Leeds-based manufacturer of glass units with integrated blinds for windows and doors.
As we see the effects of climate change in nearly every aspect of our daily lives, the environmental impact of our business activities has been rising up the agenda for some time now.
But while Yorkshire and the Humber may be at the forefront of nationally and internationally significant new green technologies and renewable power generation, it is the sum of all the small steps that every business in the region can take to reduce their carbon footprint that has the potential to make a big difference.
Many businesses have overcome the idea that being more environmentally responsible is a ‘nice to have’ but in reality a cost and hassle they can do without. As our business has discovered over the past few years, thinking about sustainability in every area and process of your business contributes to business success and profitability – not hinder it.
So I think 2023 will be a big year for sustainability in business. And I think the fact that consumers are increasingly turning to greener brands signals the greater opportunity that lies ahead. Yes, some green business initiatives will require upfront investment, but the returns could be realised sooner than we think.
Our post-consumer glass recycling initiative, for example, started as a simple exercise to cut waste disposal costs. In the space of just over two years, however, we have not only saved money, but donated thousands of pounds into our GreenVision fund to support local community groups and environmental initiatives.
