The Colorado Green Business program provides assistance and support in making Colorado business more sustainable through increasing efficiency and reducing waste. We can support your effort to become more sustainable through technical assistance, connections to resources, and environmental recognition.
Free assessments
Onsite assessments
Online assessment
Take the free Colorado Green Business Assessment to measure the sustainability of your business, identify ways to improve, and get connected to assistance and recognition opportunities. A Colorado Green Business representative will contact you after you’ve started the assessment.
Colorado Green Business Assessment
The Colorado Green Business Network is a collaborative effort between the state and local green business programs throughout the state. If you are in an area covered by a local program, you will automatically be directed to local content and recognition opportunities.
What is pollution prevention?
Pollution prevention (P2) is any strategy that reduces or eliminates waste at the source by preventing it from occurring in the first place. P2 includes reducing the use of energy, water. This reduces the waste that needs to be managed through recycling, reuse, treatment, or disposal.
Pollution prevention includes:
- Modifying equipment or technology.
- Modifying processes and procedures.
- Reformulating or redesigning products and packaging.
- Substituting less-toxic or non-toxic raw materials.
- Improving housekeeping, maintenance, training and inventory control.
Pollution prevention became a national policy with the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990. The Act established waste reduction as the waste management method of choice and set up a framework for promoting P2.
Why prevent pollution?
Sustainable pollution prevention strategies can:
- Save businesses money by reducing energy, water, and material costs.
- Reduce environmental compliance costs.
- Improve worker safety.
- Reduce risk and liability.
- Reduce disposal and treatment costs.
- Attract increasingly educated and motivated consumers.
- Differentiate your product or service.
- Retain skilled workers through corporate values and performance.
- Reduce external impacts on public health and the environment.
P2 Guidance
- Pollution prevention in dairy.
- Pollution prevention in food manufacturing.
- Pollution prevention in hazardous waste generators.
- Pollution prevention in coffee roasters.
- Pollution prevention in bakeries.
- Sustainable cleaning and sanitizing in food manufacturing facilities.