NORTH Essex businesses strapped for cash can save money by going green.

The Essex Resource Efficiency Club, an event organised by Colchester Council and the Environment Agency, will offer tips on how simple changes can make a difference to a company's bottom line.

The free event - held at The Colchester Centre, Hawkins Road, Colchester on July 2 - saved 11 businesses £1 million when it was held in Basildon last year.

It runs several times a year, but this is the first to be held in Colchester.

Paul Smith, resources and business boss at Colchester Council, said: "Resource efficiency makes business sense, and protects the environment. Businesses are having to operate in a challenging economic environment at present, we want to support our local businesses and promote any opportunities available to them that offer cost savings and reduce their carbon footprint."

Envirowise, a Government agency that helps businesses make efficiency savings, claims the true cost of waste can represent four per cent of a business' average turnover.

"Businesses could save up to 80 per cent of their packaging and water costs, one to five per cent of raw material costs and ten to 20 per cent of energy bills by introducing, generally, low cost resource efficiencies," added Nigel Myers, the council's enterprise manager.

Steve Bewers of the Environment Agency said all businesses can improve their efficiency.

"In time of increasing costs, businesses should be looking at inefficiencies and waste.

"There is competition out there to be the most efficient business as they are the ones that will stand the course of time," he explained.

Speakers at the event will include companies from across the county that have already made financial savings by introducing new ways of working, reduced packaging, energy, waste and raw material costs and in turn, boosted productivity.

l For more information about the free event, which runs from 9.30am until 12.45pm, or to register, visit colchester.gov.uk/news