Go Green for Business
Join our Go Green for Business support scheme
This joint initiative, launched in partnership with GreenMark, enables small and medium-sized businesses to understand and improve their environmental impact, and develop a structured framework for fostering sustainable business growth.
On completion of the programme, you'll gain a recognised, environmental accreditation that is certified by GreenMark.
How this accreditation will help your business
Today more and more customers prefer to do business with environmentally responsible businesses. Boosting your green credentials not only helps the planet but can also help your business become more energy efficient, make savings and improve your bottom line.
We want to help businesses in our Borough to:
- understand their environmental impacts
- take measurable steps to reduce them
- create a greener Guildford
How the programme works
If your business is eligible and you're selected for our free pilot scheme you will be invited to join an initial kick off meeting before attending your one-to-one sessions.
Dependent where you are on your sustainability journey, the Go Green for Business programme takes up to 12 hours to complete. You can spread this over several weeks at a time that's convenient for you.
You will be expected to:
- pledge to improve your sustainability and carbon footprint through the Green Mark Accreditation framework
- build the foundations for sustainability with a clear, web-based route to accreditation
- document your sustainability journey with an easy-to-use Environmental Management System (EMS).
This will unlock:
- access to the online portal where you can find document templates, help files and guidance notes to drive your accreditation forward
- your one-to-one sessions to help you identify areas for improvement, making savings and achieving accreditation.
Beyond Accreditation
Once your business is accredited you'll be awarded a certification pack. This includes badges and certificates that you can proudly display on buildings and your website.
The GreenMark certification provides a visible and recognisable symbol of your sustainable achievements and commitment to reducing your environmental impact.
You can draw on the expertise of the GreenMark sustainability professionals during your twelve month membership.
As part of this initiative, we're also aiming to set up a network of local businesses working together for a greener Guildford.
Check your eligibility for a free place
To qualify for the Go Green for Business scheme your business must
- be a Small to Medium-sized Enterprise (SME) with 2 to 50 employees.
- be located within Guildford Borough
- agree to share your tracking data from the Environmental Management System you set up (this is for reporting purposes and sharing of best practice).
You will gain most benefit from the scheme if you also:
- have a physical, registered business premises
- pay your own energy bills
What businesses say about the Green Mark Accreditation
Waverley Borough Council ran a pilot Go Green for Business scheme last year. Here is feedback from some of the businesses that took part.
New Ashgate Gallery
"The Green Mark accreditation gave us a clear framework to review our environmental practices, understand where we could improve and develop practical plans for the future. The guidance and regular support from our Green Mark mentor made the process manageable and valuable for a small organisation like ours."
High Street retailer
"As a small high street retail business the Green Mark accreditation process really helped us focus in on our most important sustainability issues. It's a great way to start your journey."
Pied Piper Theatre
"The Green Mark Accreditation helped Pied Piper Theatre to move forwards on our green journey in the Arts."
Solarcycle
"Before GreenMark, we thought we were extremely green, by nature of what we do. The process enabled us to reflect inwardly to see where we could do better. Even at Level 1, procurement teams now know we are GreenMark accredited and we have seen an improvement in that sales cycle that has alerted peoples interest, people who want to buy from us, and for a small start-up like us, that's a really big deal.
There's all sorts of accreditations but GreenMark from the start felt like a partner. From the start, the meetings we had with them were talking through ideas we could do in the future, sense checking them and also bouncing around new ideas. GreenMark also fitted in around us and our busy schedule as a startup, so it was business friendly."
Need more information
If you'd like to see the platform and talk to an expert before signing up, you can book a GreenMark demonstration. To answer the question 'What is the nature of your booking?' please select other and tell the host you're thinking of signing up to the Guildford Borough Council pilot scheme.