The Green for Micro programme helps prepare small businesses for the low carbon, more resource efficient economy of the future. This initiative from the national network of Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs) gives small firms employing less than 10 people access to a green consultant who shows them the small changes that can have a big impact on their business, and on the world around them.
“Green for Micro is a completely free programme that identifies opportunities for businesses to get a return on their investment in becoming green and more sustainable,” explains Padraic McElwee, chair of the national network of Local Enterprise Offices. “We have a panel of consultants with relevant skillsets and who have a good background in the area. They have been interacting with different businesses and have gained practical experience from that and have seen what works. In each case, we select a consultant who will be a good fit for the company concerned.”
Based in Balbriggan, Co Dublin, The Little Wax Company was a recent participant on the programme. “We have been really fortunate in the support we’ve received from our Local Enterprise Office,” says director and owner Marc Herbert. “They have been really supportive with a number of grants and mentoring services over the years. They approached us to see if we were interested in Green for Micro.”
He points out that going green can be a challenge for small businesses. “Everyone wants to be green but there is a balance to be struck. You can get to a point where the cost of green initiatives must be passed onto the consumer and that can hurt the business. Green for Micro allowed me to understand what green and sustainability mean. It was a bit of an eye-opener. We looked at packaging, and then at our material-sourcing to see how eco it was. We looked at our whole supply chain and how the materials get shipped. It’s also a question of looking at your suppliers’ green credentials.”
Harnessing energy from the sun in Ireland makes more than just environmental sense
When it comes to sustainability, smart companies will not take the foot off the pedal
Why recognition of prior learning works for business
Businesses need to transform their finance functions in order to compete and add strategic value
Green for Micro has absolutely made us a better business. We now make more conscious decisions about how we can improve
The business, which specialises in home fragrance products including wax melts, candles, and diffusers, was established in 2018 by Herbert’s wife Amy who was looking for an opportunity to return to work. “The children were getting older, so it was an opportune time,” he points out. “It was difficult to get good quality wax melts in Ireland at the time. Amy bought in ingredients and made them at home for six months as a hobby and realised she could make a business out of it. I set up the website and we started the business from there.”
Good relationships with social media influencers helped the business take off. “By Christmas 2019 we had a very strong business. Mother’s Day 2020 coincided with the first Covid restrictions. Everyone was at home and wanted it to smell nice. Business went bananas. We got so big so quickly we had to move out of home and take people on. We set up a temporary premises in a disused dance studio for a while and we are now in our own workshop in Balbriggan.”
The company now employs five people full-time, including Herbert. “We are evolving our business model at the moment. We had 90 per cent direct to consumer through our online channel with the remainder going to wholesalers. We are now looking to rebalance that to about 70 per cent direct to consumer.”
The Green for Micro programme involves four sessions with one of its consultants. “We had discussions about sustainability in general and looked at our motivation for going green,” Herbert explains. “We looked at initiatives we could work on straight away and then we looked at other long-term plans like look putting a green charter in place.”
The programme had an immediate impact on the business. Initiatives saw the company review its range of packaging materials including plastics, glass and aluminium to look at different aspects such as weight and its impact on transport costs and environmental impact.
“We looked at our packaging for products going into the retail space. Take wax melts, for example. They came in plastic clam shells which was also the mould used to make them. One option was to put them into cardboard packaging but risked the oil from the wax leaking into the cardboard on the shelf. Following research, we found a plastic made from 70 per cent recycled materials.”
They also did a big exercise on reusability. “We now try to make sure that all the paper that goes into our cardboard is FSC certified. We eliminated the filler we had been using in our e-commerce boxes and replaced it air filled cushions instead, he explains.
With energy bills on the rise they installed smart plugs on the large units they used to heat the wax. “While they don’t draw a lot of power the smart plugs ensure they are not left on for long periods.”
Green for Micro allowed me to understand what green and sustainability mean. It was a bit of an eye-opener
The overall experience has been positive. “Green for Micro has absolutely made us a better business. We now make more conscious decisions about how we can improve. As a small business it is difficult to implement all the changes at the same time, but we are constantly identifying where we can make changes and what we can improve. That helps us to bring our products to market in the most sustainable way. It’s about doing the right thing.”
For businesses that have undertaken Green for Micro and want to continue their sustainable journey, they can apply for Enterprise Ireland’s GreenStart, which is also open to businesses employing more than 10 people.
The objective is for the Green for Micro scheme is to assist 550 companies this year, up from 300 in 2021. “We are well on the way to meeting that target,” says McElwee. “The feedback from participants like The Little Wax company has been overwhelmingly positive. The scheme allows companies to get an independent consultant in to give an objective view of the business and identify opportunities to become more sustainable and reduce costs. It’s an education process for business owners and their employees which delivers positive results both for the bottom line and the environment.”
Businesses with up to 10 employees can apply for Green for Micro at localenterprise.ie.