Making Energy Work
With CFOs keen to cut costs, whatever the size of the business, a common topic of boardroom conversation is the power we use and how we can make savings. Energy costs, carbon footprints and increasingly tougher regulations mean this topic is quickly moving up the agenda. Director’s Greg Lowe looks at how businesses in Thailand can reduce costs.
Many Asian firms fail to commit to reducing the environmental impact of their operations because they see doing so as a cost, experts say. But emphasising the fact that green policies can provide both near- and long-term savings, in terms of reducing energy costs, could win more managers over in today's cost-conscious recessionary atmosphere.
Paul Wedel, president, Keenan Institute Asia, a not-for-profit organisation that promotes competitive sustainable development throughout the region, puts forward ‘three R's’ as essential factors in arguing the case for implementing environmentally-focused polices in the workplace: reducing costs, reducing reputational risk, and reducing exposure to fines and penalties.
