Campaign aims to help SMEs profit from carbon tax

Climate Friendly has launched the ‘Mainstreaming Green: by business, for business’ campaign to help SMEs understand and take full advantage of the carbon price policy.

Climate Friendly CEO Freddy Sharpe said: “Alarmingly, only 12% of businesses currently have any form of sustainability reporting. That means there is a real opportunity to stand out from competitors and differentiate.”

The campaign recognises the importance of building a savvy and responsible business community and aims to help it take advantage of the green wave and make a serious dent in Australia’s carbon footprint.

Thought-leaders like Kylie Kwong, Michael Kitchener from Kitcheners Kitchens and The Body Shop Australia have all joined in to share their experiences on how to profit from being green.

Kitchener’s Kitchens Founder Michael Kitchener reflects: “I was thinking ‘How can I position my company differently in what is an extremely competitive industry?’ One facet is the marketing benefits - I suppose that was the big inroad for me. The first step was going through the system with Climate Friendly and assessing our carbon footprint. Beyond managing our carbon I have also introduced more environmentally friendly products into the kitchen industry over the past couple of years,” Kitchener said.

Already, hundreds of businesses are benefitting from taking action on climate change and seeing just how easy it is to save money, attract new clients and retain staff.

“Australian businesses are the real engine for change in the broader community and it’s essential they are on board. The campaign goes about setting new norms with the ultimate goal of Mainstreaming Green,” says Freddy Sharpe of Climate Friendly.

Business people are welcome to attend the Mainstreaming Green campaign launch at Vivo Café on 10 November at 8:30 am. Vivo Founder Angela Vithoulkas and Climate Friendly CEO Freddy Sharpe will facilitate knowledge sharing about carbon and other sustainability initiatives.