“Cleantech” startup Greener has launched a new platform called Greener for Business, which it says helps fast-track the path to net zero for millions of Australian businesses. The company also announced a strategic partnership with Better Packaging Co, and energy retailer Origin, one of Australia’s largest energy retailers.
Greener points out that Australia’s small and medium businesses (SMBs) make up more than 98 per cent of all businesses and contribute more than $506 billion to the economy. With the right support, Greener says these often under-resourced and time-poor businesses can play a vital role in the fight against climate change and improve their bottom line by taking climate action.
The platform, which the company says was designed using the latest environmental and behavioural science, and aligned to the UN’s Race to Zero, provides businesses with a simple step-by-step action plan to help fast-track their journey to net zero emissions. While the implementation of sustainable practices has traditionally been time-intensive and costly, Greener says it has built a solution that removes these pain points by making it easy for businesses to transform their operations across key emissions areas such as energy, waste, electrification, packaging, and logistics while also helping to unlock savings for their bottom line.
Among the various initiatives, Greener has partnered with Better Packaging Co, who it says will be helping its members transition to sustainable packaging options. Kate Bezar, co-founder and head of Impact, Better Packaging Co told PKN: “Better Packaging Co’s core mission is to use packaging as a means to combat pollution, poverty and climate change, but has also always been to make the most sustainable packaging solutions accessible and affordable to businesses of all sizes.
“Generally, the latest technological advances are the exclusive realm of the big end of town, with their scale and R&D budgets they are able to meet the high MOQs required. We like to think we’ve democratised sustainable packaging by doing the R&D ourselves and then making the results available in packs of 100 or less so that even the smallest businesses can get them from us online.”
Backed by a coalition of partners including Origin, the Australian Retailers Association (ARA), Sendle, Mr Yum, Shopline, Better Packaging Co, and local city councils including Ku-ring-gai, North Sydney, Willoughby, Yarra and Moonee Valley councils; Greener for Business aims to give SMBs access to simple solutions and central source of available government rebates to help them take climate action and unlock potential savings at the same time.
Greener says its partnership with Origin means SMBs that join Greener for Business can access a range of offers on products such as GreenPower and solar to help them on their decarbonisation journey with economical and accessible options.
“As one of Australia’s leading energy retailers, we are dedicated to supporting all our customers, including small and medium businesses, throughout their carbon reduction journey by providing tailored energy solutions,” said Origin Small and Medium Business retail general manager Jonathan Mattock. "We are delighted to partner with Greener to provide small and medium businesses with affordable, customised solutions, giving customers better access to great value and a broader range of solutions outside of energy.”
“We know small and medium businesses are the backbone of Australia's economy, but many are also cash-strapped, time-poor, and under a huge amount of pressure just keeping their heads above water,” said Tom Ferrier, founder of Greener. “That’s why we’re working hard to help them get greener and save money at the same time. And it’s partners like Origin that help us move the needle and deliver scalable impact by making it easy for SMBs to reduce their emissions — like switching to 100% government-accredited GreenPower – one of the best ways to reduce emissions from electricity usage that they can sign up to in less than five minutes.”
