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Most CEOs See Sustainability Growth Opportunity
69% of CEOs view sustainability as a leading business growth opportunity in 2024, according to a recent survey of CEOs and senior executives by...
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Making Green Pay
Wherever you stand on environmental issues, the impact of your business on the planet will have significant commercial implications going forward, Simon Scholes recently told The Installer Magazine.
Understanding and implementing the right processes is a critical step for any installation business that wants to steal a march on its competition over the next few years.
Tender requirements
46 per cent of respondents to the UK Net Zero Business Census Report 2024 stated that they had received customer or tender applications that required carbon footprint data. In other words, becoming sustainable and carbon efficient will give you commercial advantage. Indeed, environmental credentials will often be in the first triage of criteria when assessing tender applications. And this expectation is filtering down into smaller, local companies – a sector where many window companies sit.
Where do you start?
While switching to electric vehicles and taking advantage of window recycling schemes are significant steps forward, the reality is that they barely scratch the surface of regulatory expectations.
Simon Scholes is a window industry veteran with a particular expertise in sustainability and carbon accounting. He recently took over the reins of a boutique environmental agency, Oakdene Hollins, which is particularly adept at crafting accessible and affordable ways to integrate carbon accounting into smaller companies.
He says: “There are so many expectations and very little support when it comes to putting the right measures in place, which means that many small businesses have no idea where to start. While local business advisory organisations can lay out the regulations and cookie-cutter solutions, this is rarely adaptable across a wide range of industries. The window industry has its own foibles which we know how to address.”
Using his experience within the industry, Scholes is ideally positioned to provide a clear-cut pathway for window companies to follow towards fully integrating carbon accounting practices.
“We have already done the hard work many times across different sectors and know exactly what is required for window companies to meet their regulatory and market expectations,” adds Scholes. “There is no need to re-invent the wheel. You can simply allow us to tailor our knowledge according to your particular set-up to make sure you are working steadfastly towards that position as a trusted, sustainable partner.”
Trust
The word ‘trusted’ is key – many companies risk falling foul of making green claims when inadvertently misleading their audience about genuine green credentials.
“The business advantages and benefits of carbon accounting will soon overtake the pain of having to implement it in the first place,” says Scholes. “The key is to remember that this is a process and the start of a road that will become integral to your business. Over the weeks, months and years, you will begin to enjoy tangible improvements to your overall business operations.”
Show me the money
Such benefits include cost savings from emissions reductions, favourable brand recognition and growing cooperation within supply chain expectations.
Scholes says: “The use of energy in the UK is under the spotlight and love it or hate it, window companies have to take notice and change the way they do business. However, the long-term benefits will outweigh the short-term pain.”
Simon says:
• It will place you favourably on specification and supply-chain lists over and above non-compliant competitors.
• It will force you to address energy consumption and make considerable savings and efficiencies.
• It will elevate the public perception of your company and your brand and position you as a sustainable leader among your peers.
• It will supply you with a constant flow of positive marketing messages.
“Carbon accounting does not have to be expensive and restrictive. In fact, it is quite the opposite,” concludes Simon. “Look upon it as efficiency engineering, with the additional advantage of positive environmental impact”
Picture: Simon Scholes of Oakdene Hollins says there are things you can do to assess where you are now and then use a multitude of different aspects to improve your environmental credentials one step at a time – and see positive improvements to your bottom line as a result.
www.oakdenehollins.com/lpcarbonaccounting
Article written by Simon Scholes, Oakdene Hollins
02nd April 2025