Eco reform can be good business, says VACC

A NEW campaign to help car dealers and other motor trades businesses to improve their environmental performance and comply with latest laws has been launched in Victoria.

Called Green Stamp Plus, the new program has been designed by the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce (VACC) to help the industry to keep pace with the ever-improving environmental performance of the vehicles they service.

The new Victorian program was initially developed and funded with the federal department of environment, water, heritage and the arts, which was aiming to promote good environmental practices in the automotive trades.

It parallels 'green stamp' programs running in several other states and territories.

Left: VACC chief executive David Purchase.

Apart from avoiding possible prosecution, the Victorian program can help a business improve productivity and even make some extra money, according to VACC chief executive David Purchase.

“By being green and clean, there is money to be made,” Mr Purchase said at the launch.

“Certainly, there are fines to be avoided for offending against various regulations but, more importantly, there is money to be made or saved by being clean and green.” For instance, Mr Purchase said, operators might be able to sell some waste instead of simply paying someone to take it away.

Mr Purchase acknowledged that meeting environmental requirements laid down by state governments was an extra burden for small business in particular, but he said the Green Stamp Plus program had been designed to give operators clear guidance on how to meet their responsibilities.

“It’s a very big challenge, particularly when dealing with small businesses which are struggling to survive,” he said.

“The last thing many of these people want to be told is, in addition to all of your other problems, you have now got to comply with all sorts of green laws, regulations and so on. It’s a big challenge.” He said the challenge lay in persuading business operators that it was actually in their interests to take on the initiatives outlined in the program.

The VACC argues that the program will not only help business owners meet their legal responsibilities, it could also develop into a competitive advantage.

“We are worried that people may not be that willing to put in place all that is required for compliance until someone gets prosecuted,” said the VACC’s environmental advisor Sarah Thomas.

“However, even though it might not be a priority for small shops, when they start to see other businesses are getting accredited, that will be a massive incentive to do it even though it may not have been a priority before.

“We think it will become a competitive advantage.” Businesses which reach level 2 or level 3 of the Green Stamp Plus program will be able to display signage signaling to customers that the company has exceeded its minimum regulatory responsibilities.

But there is another aspect to the campaign that could prove even more beneficial to the business than the task of complying with environmental laws: improved employee attitudes, Mr Purchase said.

What’s more, the VACC would be pushing this aspect of the campaign – improved employee performance – rather than the compliance side.

“One of our tyre dealers has introduced some of these measures into his place, and one of the things he has noticed is a change in attitude, and that has led to improved customer service,” he said “It has also led to them discovering a way of disposing of their tyres for some dollars and they would not have bothered to look at that if the staff member had not had a change of attitude.

“Therefore, that in a sense has led to them introducing a money making activity that can be tracked back to the environmental initiative we have put to them.” Mr Purchase said the effort to achieve improved environmental performance had prompted another shop to clean up its act.

“The floor is much cleaner and there haven’t been as many people slipping and sliding,” Mr Purchase said the owner had reported.

He said people tend to respect or mirror the place around them.

“If you have a home or business in good nick, chances are the people who go into that home or business will also keep it in good nick.

“If your business is like a dog’s breakfast, chances are it will be kept as a dog’s breakfast.” The VACC program has initially been aimed at four distinct areas of the automotive industry: dealerships, body repair workshops, mechanical repair workshops and parts recyclers.

While there are subtle differences, all the programs address the crucial areas of chemicals storage, pre-treatment of waste water before disposal, spill management, correct disposal of waste, air quality management, energy and resource conservation and the development of environmental management plans.