It’s hard not to watch the news and think that only those big businesses make the difference to how we live our lives and the future of the planet. That is so far from the truth, and as a CEO of a SME I am incredibly proud of the impact we are making but I know I am not alone.
There are over five million businesses in the UK that employ less than 50 employees, making up over 90% of private businesses. So it is a surprise that more focus isn’t given to the positive impact SMEs can make to communities and to our environment – because I believe it can be massive. Size doesn’t matter – our actions do.
As a group of SMEs, we hold an incredible power for change. In our two counties, we have so many small and medium sized businesses that are leaders in their sector and ground breaking in the way they drive sustainability and social investment. We need to listen and learn from each other. There is more we can do as an SME sector but where we are making a difference, we need to shout about it.
For Eumar Technology and our sister company Ubersorb, we are on that journey having made some significant steps forward over the past 18 months. We have committed to not only reducing our carbon footprint to achieve net zero emissions but also to embed a long-term approach to changing and improving the way we work.
That work has initially focused on achieving ISO14001 certification and a certified carbon footprint. In January this year, we achieved both.
What ISO14001 and carbon footprint certification has meant?
The achievement of ISO14001 certification is recognition that we have built a foundation of awareness and an evolving culture, where sustainability and doing the right thing is becoming embedded. ISO has already given us significant benefits. Certification has allowed us to ‘kick the tyres’ of our processes and ask ourselves the difficult questions about whether we could improve them and be more sustainable. Unsurprisingly the answer was and still is yes!.
Both ISO14001 and our carbon footprint certifications have also given our colleagues, customers and supply chain formal recognition of our progress as a company, a collective and most importantly, as a workforce. It provides tangible evidence for all of the hard work and commitment we have seen at all levels of our organisation. But there is so much more to do.
Taking sustainable steps can be incredibly scary for a small business, particularly in challenging times, with pressure from all sides. We certainly haven’t found it easy. If we just listen to the media, we naturally go to solar panels, maybe even wind turbines. We think about the shift to electric vehicles, which seems to be increasing in price with demand and is contrary to circular economy research. But when I speak to peers across our medical device sector, I realise that small steps into sustainable production combine to have a seismic effect.
Given we are now beginning to mature in our models of change, we can help others starting out so I want to share some of the findings of that journey so far.
● Take your colleagues with you: Most of the ideas and passion for sustainability and change have come from the workforce. So we started our sustainability journey by asking colleagues, what would you do to make a difference? It was inspiring and people really care. Our workforce made this happen.
● Understand the size of the challenge: We decided to fully understand our carbon impact. For that we brought in a partner who could work with us, using the free tools available and Government guidance. The size of the challenge doesn’t get smaller but it does get more manageable.
● Understand what you don’t know: We knew we wanted to make a difference and change how we did things. We did our research and spent time asking questions. While we still don’t fully know the extent of the impact we can make, we understand how our industry is changing, where changes can be made and what our customers are demanding. We spent time understanding how to do it properly.
● Be ambitious and practical: We have declared a net zero ambition and are building all of our strategic approach around that. We made a conscious decision to make practical changes and not offset them. For us that was never an option. You cannot do everything – so we are starting small with steps we can control – package redesign, nearshoring and reducing travel.
● Keep it simple: It’s really important to keep data collection simple for net zero. It is easy to overcomplicate it and create extra work for yourself. Remember the purpose of data collection is to make it easier to ‘act’ and not just count the outcome.
● ISO14001 is not scary: The idea of taking on a huge task like achieving ISO14001 can seem tough. We spent time understanding it and used it as a guide, as much as anything. We may have achieved certification but the process was more important – we found it enabling and informing – many of our actions have been informed by the standard.
● Easy wins start locally: Major changes like solar panels take time and often investment. Not everyone can do that so we also started small by understanding our data – our electricity usage for example and what we could do in the environment. We have a programme of wild planting across our factory sites and in local areas to encourage biodiversity, we have changed bulbs to LEDs and reduced use of electricity where we can. It’s surprising what you can do…even the cycle to work scheme adds to the mix. We are now making bigger changes but couldn’t have achieved those without those small steps.
With those solid foundations in place, we are investing significantly in our production lines and in onshoring. With the knowledge we know now, we can fully understand the benefits and impact those changes will have on our footprint. We can also bring those benefits to our customers and supply chain, including the NHS. Eumar Technology is also pleased to have completed the NHS Evergreen Sustainable Supplier Assessment. The Assessment is a self-assessment and reporting tool supporting us to understand our alignment with NHS sustainability priorities and identify those areas in which we need to accelerate progress.
With so many manufacturers in our region, imagine the impact we can all make together.
So as we grow and progress as an organisation, we can be proud of what we have achieved but it remains a constant learning process. So if I was to give SME peers one piece of advice it would be to just get started and take that step.
There is a lot of support out there and my door is always open for a chat if I can be of any help. Please get in touch. But do take that step.
Geraldine Johnson
Eumar Technology