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Bira welcomes Wales' business rates proposals but calls for key improvements

11 Jun 2025

Bira has welcomed the Welsh Government's consultation on business rate reforms for retail shops, whilst calling for significant improvements to ensure the proposals truly support high street... Read more…

New awards launch to champion Britain's independent high street heroes

9 Jun 2025

Retailers on Britain's high streets are being encouraged to put themselves forward for the first-ever Love Your High Street Awards, designed to celebrate the small businesses that bring... Read more…

"Tectonic shift" in employment law threatens independent retailer viability, warns Bira podcast

6 Jun 2025

Independent retailers are facing a "generational" transformation of employment law that could fundamentally change how small businesses operate, according to the final episode of Bira's first... Read more…

Retailers hope warm weather and bank holidays will boost high street sales

16 May 2025

ACT parent company Bira has said that members are hopeful the warm weather, Easter weekend and upcoming bank holidays will provide a much-needed boost to high street sales.
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Economic growth surges to 0.7%, but "April reality check" looms for high street retailers

15 May 2025

UK economy delivers strongest quarterly performance in a year despite forecasts of business downturn.
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Communities come together for Local Bike Shop Day 2025 celebrations

13 May 2025

Local Bike Shop Day 2025 brought a wave of... Read more…

ACT parent company Bira welcomes Bank of England's latest interest rate cut

8 May 2025

ACT parent company Bira has welcomed the Bank of England's decision to reduce interest rates from 4.5% to 4.25%, calling it a "much-needed boost" for the retail sector, including for cycling... Read more…

ACT parent company Bira responds to Beales' "Rachel Reeves Closing Down Sale" as iconic store makes final protest

8 May 2025

ACT parent company Bira has responded to the news that the 144-year-old Beales department store is staging a "Rachel Reeves Closing Down Sale" in its final weeks of trading, with giant yellow... Read more…

Employment Rights Bill - ACT and Bira answer your questions

28 Apr 2025

The Labour Government’s new Employment Rights Bill is set to be in force this year and the new regulations will impact high street retailers up and down the country.
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ACT parent company Bira welcomes Chancellor's action on unfair trade practices

25 Apr 2025

ACT parent company Bira welcomes the Chancellor's announcement of plans to create a level playing field for British businesses against unfair international trade practices.
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The planet friendly guide for small businesses

Posted on in Business News, Cycles News

Green cutleryStreet is a guide to helping smaller retailers & hospitality businesses work together to slash their carbon footprint and become more sustainable as quickly as possible.

Green Street know what it's like to be a small business - you have no time and you need to be an expert in everything. But, there are only so many balls you can juggle. We all know we need to be more sustainable, but where do we start, and what should we do?

So, Green Street have kept it as simple as possible. The Planet-friendly Guide has around 30 practical actions you can take, grouped under six easy-to-remember principles. Start doing these, and you'll make a difference to your business, your customers, your community and our planet.

How it helps you

Green Street have also chosen some actions based on the real-life experiences of retailers and people who have already tried to make their businesses greener.

If you do want to find out more about a particular action we have suggested some websites which you can look at as well as some examples of good things which other companies are doing.

Green Street have kept it simple and jargon free - our aim is that you don't need to use Google at all to understand what you need to do. Just in case, we have included a friendly jargon buster to help you work out some of the many technical terms that sometimes make this area difficult to understand.

Importantly, more and more people are looking to make personal changes so they can live more sustainably, and they are looking for companies to help them with this. The COVID pandemic has helped, not hindered, this desire - for instance, a poll at the end of 2020 found that 65% of people plan to be more mindful of the impact of their purchases, and yet half of UK consumers do not trust the product-related claims of companies at face value.

So Green Street believe that becoming greener will help you not only cut costs, but also increase sales as more people look for shops and businesses to help them live sustainable lives. We hope this Planet-friendly guide helps you take your next steps in doing just that for your customers.

The six planet friendly principles

The six planet friendly principles will help you navigate through our planet-friendly guide. Each principle has its own information and a set of actions you can take to help you make your business greener. Each action has guidance on what to do, how it will help your business thrive and where to go for extra help if you need it.

Just click on a principle to get started.

  1. Save energy and switch to renewables
  2. Minimise packaging
  3. Recycle and reuse
  4. Offer greener choices
  5. Work together
  6. Share what you learn
Find out more about the planet friendly guide here.

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