Businesses will be able to claim their share of efficiency savings

Businesses will be able to claim their share of £6.4bn in resource efficiency savings by using a simple online calculator devised by sustainable business experts Envirowise.

The Envirowise Savings Calculator takes businesses through three simple steps to help them minimise costs and maximise profits. By inputting a few basic details into the calculator they can reveal the savings they could make on costs such as paper, waste disposal, water, heating and transport.

Envirowise programme marketing manager Elaine Sharp says: "Businesses are increasingly looking at ways to cut their costs as the challenging economic climate hits their bottom line. Putting profit back into the business rather than seeing it wasting away is a great place to start and we can see that those companies who have a positive attitude towards resource efficiency are reaping the rewards.

"Although many businesses have already taken steps to improve their processes, there is always something more that can be done and we hope our Savings Calculator will help them make some small changes that will have a lasting, positive impact on their business."

Once information is entered into the calculator, a company can use it to create an individual, tailored plan to help cut costs. The calculator pools all relevant Envirowise guides and money-saving advice to help businesses get started on the journey towards resource efficiency.

Top tips on resource efficiency:

Understand the types and quantities of waste being generated by your business and the associated costs. This will help you identify the largest areas of waste production and greatest opportunities to improve performance.

Look at your suppliers and whether there are other ways you could be working with them to reduce the amount of waste you jointly produce. It could be as simple as asking your suppliers to supply products in less packaging.

Don't think of water use and disposal charges as fixed costs. Companies can save around 30% of their water costs through implementing simple and inexpensive water minimisation measures. For example, by fixing dripping taps and installing water-saving devices. A tap dripping two drops a second across a year, for example, could waste nearly 10,000 litres of water.

Gain the support of staff within your business so they can help to reduce waste, and appoint champions for collating data on particular waste streams that you want to target.