Mike Pickering, community and sustainability manager at The Midcounties Co-operative, talks about how his firm is championing sustainable practice in Oxfordshire.

FOR many businesses, minimising their environmental footprint has become an integral part of their operations.

Local firms are looking to see how they can cut down on energy use and other wastage, and this is true for our 72 Midcounties Co-operative stores across Oxfordshire.

I believe that the best way to tackle the issue is for businesses to set specific targets for their energy reduction – and stick to them.

For example, we've set ourselves a long-term target to improve our energy efficiency by 20 per cent in 2026, and we've already made some good headway.

In 2016, we reduced our CO2 emissions by more than 1,000 tonnes across our trading groups, with 198 tonnes of that coming from seven of our Oxfordshire food stores.

That's the equivalent of taking 39 cars off the road in the region.

In fact, since 2010, we have reduced our overall energy use by more than 15 per cent.

There are three key ways for a business to achieve greater efficiency, and the first starts with awareness and engagement.

Our colleagues are taught about energy savings practices and minimising waste through our environmental champions programme and on-going awareness raising through newsletters and simple tips on energy saving in the workplace and at home.

The second is to use more energy-efficient equipment.

For example, our food stores have introduced a range of initiatives including the use of LED lighting and the installation of energy-efficient chillers.

Depending on the size of the business, this can be a big task, but it can be rolled out gradually.

The refurbishment of one of our stores, for example, was an opportunity for us to install mechanics which heat the water by the warmth generated by the store’s fridges.

And the third is for businesses to consider their recycling initiatives.

Last year in Oxfordshire, we diverted 198 tonnes of waste from landfill through our food waste recycling process.

Across all our stores, 91 per cent of our waste is now being recycled and our food waste recycling process produces enough renewable energy to power 40 homes a year.

These initiatives do require careful planning and a team that is dedicated to making a difference to the environment.

Our environmental steering group drives forward the society’s wider sustainability strategy, setting and measuring targets for all of our trading groups.

Next steps for us include rolling out electric car charging points across our relevant sites to further reduce environmental impacts in the community.

Whether you’re one of Oxford’s many young start-ups affiliated with the university, or a big name in the region’s well-established education, publishing or tourism sectors – there are a number of ways your business can, and should, make a difference to its environmental footprint.

Set your business realistic targets, make sure your people know what they need to help, and keep an open mind to new ways of working.