I've been trying to describe the circular economy to people. It's a very effective way of saving waste, and not a new approach but one known to work, and recently given a new name and new impetus. This little video says it much better than I can! Watch it, and perhaps think about how it can apply to your business - it is already used in some parts of the print industry. http://youtu.be/Cd_isKtGaf8

The rain is here again, and commiserations to all those already suffering.

Extreme weather has become a regular occurrence - almost a a third of UK businesses were significantly affected by extreme weather between 2007 and 2010 -  and there are steps you can take to protect your business.

Are you at risk?

Floods are one of the most common types of severe weather. Although the weather is beyond our control, you can reduce the damage to your business by advance planning, taking steps to reduce disruption to work (and the risk to your revenue and future orders) and costs of repairs and replacements for property and equipment and increased insurance premiums.

The most common causes of flood are rivers, the sea and overloaded drains and sewers. You can check your risk of flooding from rivers or the sea on the Environment Agency flood pages – just type in your postcode to see if you're in a flood plain. You can also sign up to receive automatic warnings. Flooding from drains is not predictable, but knowing their locations on and around your property, keeping them clear and monitoring them in heavy rainfall is a sensible precaution. High groundwater levels can also cause floods, especially in low-lying areas with underlying aquifers.

Planning ahead

If you are at risk, make sure you're ready by preparing a flood plan and involving all your staff. What to include depends on your business and the degree of risk, but here are a few things to think about:

• Are vital files stored where they will be out of the reach of floodwater?
• Do you need to raise power points out of danger level, and equipment and stock if possible
• Can you keep a supply of sandbags ready in case of need or, if in a high-risk area, add flood protection to your building
• Can you make an agreement with another similar company outside the area to take your work if you can’t do it – and vice versa. Remember that even if your site is OK, flooded roads may prevent deliveries in and out.
• Make sure you are not reliant on any one single supplier for vital supplies – have an alternative in case they are caught by flood
• Look at your IT infrastructure – can any staff who do not need to actually be on the premises work remotely if travel becomes difficult?

The Environment Agency has some good advice on creating a plan.

Also check your insurance to make sure it gives you the cover you need and includes extreme weather events. If your risk is high, you might want to take out business continuity insurance.

Did you know?

Do you know that you can improve fuel consumption and save money by using more efficient tyres? Now there are new labels to help you choose, and since the beginning of the month the information must be clearly displayed for all new tyres.

They are graded in the familiar A - G that we're used to seeing on electrical appliances. The difference in fuel consumption between each level is about 2.5% - 4.5% - which can work out quite a bit with today's fuel prices. The label also shows how the level of rolling noise a tyre will make and its performance in the wet.