Sustainability support for businesses

We are working to create and support more green businesses, jobs and skills in the borough. This is part of Barnet’s journey towards net zero.

The benefits

Being more sustainable can be great for businesses. It can:

  • help you make progress towards net zero carbon
  • lower the costs of running your business
  • grow your revenue
  • help staff build their skills to support your business
  • help retain talent
  • access new partnerships and business investment

Where to start

Many businesses might be interested but don’t know where to start. Here are some things you can do.

For landlords

If you’re a landlord or if have some control over your building, there is free support available from Better Futures +:

  • apply for an in-person energy audit
  • attend a free workshop on how to reduce your energy bills
  • speak to an energy consultant about your energy usage and ways to cut costs
  • use a carbon calculator to measure your business’s carbon footprint
  • join the Better Futures + business leadership programme

Find out more form Better Futures

High street operators

For retailers and other high street businesses, ReLondon has free help available:

  • attend a free workshop on the circular economy, and how to reduce waste
  • apply for a grant
  • get support on how to make changes that have real impact on your business

Find out more from ReLondon

For all businesses

For all, tips to support your business in becoming more sustainable from Barnet Council:

  1. build awareness of sustainable practices amongst your employees: make sustainability part of your culture, both in and out of the office, to embed this way of thinking into your organisation
  2. cut down on waste: for example, can you reduce paper / printing, can you ban single-use plastic water bottles, bags or takeaway containers?
  3. recycle more to make a big impact: as well as recycling your own waste, it’s best practice to invest in recycled resources as well. Whilst this may bring an initial cost to your business as recycled goods are often slightly more expensive, the environmental cost of using new, single-use materials is much higher
  4. change your travel to cut pollution: reducing the number of cars on the road cuts back on pollution and carbon emissions. If you have to travel into the office or to meetings, can you take public transport or car share? Encourage cycling - is installing an office bike rack possible? Hybrid working / working from home some of the time will also help. More information on our Active Travel for workplaces campaign
  5. choose environmentally conscious suppliers: If you're a small business that wants to tackle climate change, find other businesses that want to do that too. Look at your supply chain - do your values align? Using local suppliers is great to support your local economy, other small businesses and your carbon footprint
  6. lean towards more sustainable lunch choices: Consider eating seasonal items to avoid less sustainable production methods and airmiles
  7. be more energy efficient: Turn off electric appliances, computers etc at the plug socket when not in use. This will save energy and money on your electricity bills
  8. switch your lighting to LED lightbulbs: To save 75% energy compared to traditional light bulbs
  9. if your business offers a delivery service: Think about whether you can make the transition from petrol and diesel, to investing in an electric vehicle
  10. plant a tree: One way to balance your business’s carbon emissions is carbon offsetting. To achieve this, businesses participate in schemes to remove greenhouse gas emissions to compensate for their own emissions. Why not invest in planting trees? Trees for Streets scheme

Sustainability in Barnet

Find out more sustainability in Barnet and how the Council is working towards net zero: