Companies in Warwickshire have been urged to go green for the sake of the earth – and to avoid getting their fingers burned in business.
Environmental Legislative Impact on Businesses and the Case of Climate Change was the subject of Leamington law firm Wright Hassall’s Law Bytes Seminar.
The 200-strong firm held the event at the Trident Centre at Tachbrook Park with guest speakers from Birmingham-based Hyder Consulting a lead environmental consultancy.
James Anderson and Matthew McWalter Climate Change experts from Hyder Consulting, spoke at the event and said the bottom line would be affected if companies did not adopt greater social responsibility.
Pritpal Singh-Swarn, Wright Hassall’s environment and planning lawyer, said: “The world is finally accepting that climate change is a fact and not a theory.
“We are all starting to realise that there is a corporate and individual responsibility to do ‘our bit’.
“This event highlighted that companies will need to embrace the reality of a climate constrained future and adapt to the challenge posed by climate change”.
“There are legal requirements to be environmentally friendly, and through the Koyoto Protocol countries have signed up to an international framework. There is also a European regulatory framework and domestic legislation in the making with local regulations.
“But business has to shape up and it is not just those in heavy industry or manufacturing. Office-based companies have to realise that the way they work is also affecting the environment.
“Cutting down on energy usage, paper and water are all fairly easy to implement and will reduce costs for business.
“And, as our speakers from Hyder Consulting pointed out, the effect of climate change is immediate and changes should be put in place without delay.”
