Green business support and grants

Benefits of going green

It improves your reputation with your customers, employees, suppliers and the local community.
You reduce the risk of prosecution by complying with relevant environmental legislation.
You reduce the cost of energy, water, transport, waste disposal and packaging.

Kirklees Council offers these free services through a dedicated Environmental Business Advisor:

A comprehensive review designed to show where you can save money and reduce your environmental impact.

Help and advice to help your company put in an environmental management system and get accreditation to ISO14001 (an internationally accepted environmental standard), including an initial environmental management system audit
help identifying relevant environmental legislation
help identifying significant impacts and aspects; and provision of key documentation.

Sharing through e-updates and best practice events on particular issues
Or through the larger Eco-Fair event designed to provide practical advice to local companies and put them in touch with local suppliers who can help.
- Eco-Fair (external link)

Easy to follow and sector specific, toolkits provide helpful tips and advice on how to make easy changes to reduce the environmental impact of your business.
Each toolkit provides suggestions on pollution prevention, reducing energy costs, renewable energy, waste management, water use, transport, advice on sustainable purchasing and environmental training, details of current environmental legislation, funding opportunities, local recyclers and where to go for further help.
Available toolkits:
- Care homes
- Office based businesses
- Manufacturing sector
- Retail sector
- Hospitality sector

Tool to support businesses to start to think about how climate change will affect their business.
A risk assessment template, with guidance, is available which enables businesses to to identify their priority risks and opportunities.

Kirklees Council and CO2Sense are coordinating a new grant scheme to help Kirklees small businesses make long term energy efficiency savings and help to reduce carbon emissions. A grant of up to £8,000 is available per business (subject to the business providing 50% match funding).
This grant can be used to fund energy efficiency measures, including:
- Energy efficient lighting
- Insulation
- Heating
- Destratification fans
- Replacement of older appliances or machinery with energy efficient models
- Installation of inverters on motors
The grant is available through funding from the European Regional Development Fund. To apply for the grant your business must meet ERDF eligibility criteria of employing less than 250 employees, having a turnover of less than €50 million, not being 25% owned by other businesses, and having received less than €200,000 in state aid in the three years prior to funding.

If you are interested, please contact us to discuss your energy efficiency proposal as soon as possible. The funding is only available for a limited period, and will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.
- Contact us
An Environmental Business Advisor from Kirklees Council will visit the company to complete an environmental audit and confirm which measures achieve the most cost effective carbon and financial savings. The business will then be supported to apply for the grant.
Once the application has been received, it will be assessed and projects that are successful will have a legal agreement drawn up before funding is released.