Word on the street Green tape

What it means:Remember when red tape was the scourge of the business world? If you wanted to get anything done, you'd have to wade through reams of regulations, bylaws and guidelines, all designed to delay your progress.

These days, however, it’s green tape that’s getting businesses tangled up. Before you even wipe your feet in the foyer, you have to fill out endless environmental impact reports, safety assessments and long-term recycling strategies. It’s enough to have the most easy-going entrepreneur seeing red.

Where it comes from: It's not easy being green, as a certain frog puppet once said, but over years of campaigning the Green lobby has gained ground in forcing big businesses to act responsibly and reduce pollution, waste and environmental damage. But now everything's so green, the wheels of commerce are grinding to a halt. Recently in Britain, the Tories announced plans to cut down on green tape, but insist this won't have a negative impact on the environment. Presumably they'll fill out a 50,000,000-page report before proceeding.

How to say it:"Cheer up, Adam, we may have been banished from the Garden of Eden, but at least we won't have to deal with any more green tape."