WORCESTERSHIRE County Council is supporting businesses to become more environmental friendly.

Around 250 businesses across the county have been supported by the county council’s business energy efficiency programme, and the authority provides free advice and grants to businesses that are innovating in the low carbon sector. It also provides free advice and grants to reduce the energy costs of small and medium size businesses.

Shops in the county are going to zero waste, reducing dramatically the amount of plastic in use. To support this the authority has also launched the plastic pledge scheme, in which businesses and individuals commit to reduce their single use plastics. Successful firms receive a certificate from the authority, with the first already handed to Green Ape.

Worcestershire’s clean tech, low carbon and environmental goods and services, sector employs around 7,000 people and the area is also relatively low carbon because there are relatively few businesses that are energy intensive, such as no power stations and little heavy industry. The support Worcestershire County Council has been able to give has also contributed to this low figure.

Councillor Tony Miller, cabinet member with responsibility for environment said: “It’s great to see that businesses across Worcestershire are changing their attitudes towards the environment.

“As one of the largest employers in the county, we will continue to encourage and monitor responsible environmental performance by our suppliers and contractors.”

Emily Attwell from Bromsgrove firm Nature’s Intention, one of the firms that have become more environmentally friendly, added: “To other businesses thinking about becoming more environmentally friendly, I’d say to look into packaging from suppliers, see if you can purchase things in biodegradable or recyclable materials.”