Go Green - Case Study - Paradise Financial

A GREENER KIND OF PARADISE

New Malden based insurance brokers, Paradise Financial have undergone a radical change in the way they do business in order to ‘go green’ thanks to funding provided by the ‘Go Green’ service launched by southlondon.biz, the enterprise arm for the Merton Chamber of Commerce. The ‘Go Green’ programme was recently launched to help small businesses improve their environmental performance.

“I first heard about the ‘Go Green’ initiative from our fellow member of the Korean community Sunny Lee, who works for southlondon.biz as a Greening Business Officer. Sunny visited our company to assess how we operate and outlined the benefits of the ‘Go Green’ service and how we could receive funding in order to change our business practices to become more environmentally friendly. As an insurance broking company dealing with car, household and commercial insurance we were used to handling about 5,000 pieces of paper a month, which is where we seriously had to cut back.” explained David Kim, Director of Paradise Financial.

“We were given funding through the London Development Agency (LDA) that helped us towards the purchase of a new photocopying machine that included a printer, scanner and photocopying function. Now we scan 90% of our documents and everything is stored electronically on our IT system, saving storage space and providing a better working environment for all employees. We are now able to print on both sides of paper which we could not do before, reducing our paper consumption. We are able to open all documents via our computers rather than having to photocopy them each time we were required to amend the documents. Our new gadget is also enabled for networking, so we can fax documents to our clients without printing the documents,” continued Mr Kim.

Speaking about the ‘Go Green’ service, Diana Sterck, Chief Executive of southlondon.biz said, “We are very excited to hear how the initiative has helped local businesses such as Paradise Financial become more cost effective and energy efficient.

When I walk around local communities I am amazed to see the potential for recycling and improved resource management, both of which could save businesses money. It’s a joy to see how Paradise Financial have been able to implement their new photocopier and scanner, and how having a Greening Business Officer that speaks the same language helps break down the language barrier that exists in many small business communities.”

Simon Meeneer, Group Director at the LDA comments, “’Going green’ is not just about helping to create a sustainable economy, it’s about good business sense. Today’s consumer is more and more environmentally aware, and are looking to businesses to be the same – demonstrating better environmental management gives companies the competitive edge both in terms of what they offer to their customers and in reducing their own costs. Through support and information services such as the ‘Go Green’ programme, businesses can learn how to reduce waste and improve energy efficiency which will ultimately help to reduce their bottom line.”

In each of the local authorities, Greening Business Officers work closely with the environmental waste management team in making contact with businesses and encouraging them to take advantage of the Council’s green services. The service is available to businesses in the five London boroughs of Merton, Kingston, Sutton, Croydon and Wandsworth, focusing on businesses that have not sought support from publicly funded business agencies in the past. Businesses like Paradise Financial may be offered small grants to help them implement appropriate solutions.

For more information on the ‘Go Green’ programme please contact Helen Clark Bell at southlondon.biz on 0208 944 5501, email gogreen@southlondon.biz