There are so many things to think of when you are running a small business – keeping the business afloat being most important. You are in business to make a living after all!! Legislation, including environmental legislation, is a pain. It is difficult to navigate on your own, but there is some help.
10 times more costly for small business!
After spending the day at work, there is all the other red tape to worry about. Did you know that it is 10 times more costly for small businesses to deal with bureaucracy than larger ones, due to the relative size. There are many names for it – Legislation, Bureaucracy, Red-Tape. What ever you call it, it’s here to stay.
Legislation is a pain!
It is a pain, but there is no real way of getting around it. Being compliant with legislation is just another thing for a small business to think about. Depending on what the business does, there is always some laws to comply to. Environmental legislation is just one of the laws a business must comply to.
How do I know if I am compliant?
That is a very difficult question to answer. Many large companies have a full time Environmental Specialist to ensure the business is not breaking any laws. However, most small companies don’t have this luxury. If Google can’t help you find your answer, some outside help might be needed.
Small business support
Small businesses just want to know There are some supports available, but it might be good to start here.
EU Level Support
- Environmental Compliance Assistance Programme for SMEs
- Future SME – Environmental Legislation
- European Environment Agency
- End-of-Life vehicles
Support in Ireland
- Envirocentre – Environmental Legislation Database
- Local Authority
- GreenBusiness for Waste and Water
- SEAI for Energy
- Green Hospitality
Other places for support
- Specialist Consultancy Company such as SPeco or Almir
- NetRegs
- Networking with other businesses – ask them what they do
Is compliance important enough to worry about?
Yes it is! It is not worth the risk of …
- Penalties there could be consequences for non-compliance. These could include fines, or in extreme cases the business closing down.
- Brand – It might affect your business image – if your customers don’t like it they might go somewhere else
- Product recall – you might be forced to take your product off the market
- Not up to date. It means you are not up to speed with the latest business trend – Sustainability!
The Main Categories or Legislation include..
There are six main categories of environmental legislation, which are:
- Energy
- Chemicals (REACH)
- Noise
- Waste
- Water
- Air Quality
Look out for future posts on each of these.
The Sustainable SME 
You must be logged in to post a comment.