I had a very fun day last Thursday facilitating a workshop on green business opportunities for a group of small business owners who have just completed a programme with TEDCO (a local business support organisation). I went for the usual no-Powerpoint/real items/post-its approach and the delegates threw themselves into the task. The measure of success was when the most eco-sceptical person in the room left with a new green business plan and a grin on his face.

But my favourite moment was when tea entrepreneur Liza Johnson explained how she determined whether her packaging was actually green. She asked some vegans for their views, given that vegans, and I’ll put this politely, tend to have stricter standards than the rest of us. “If the vegans are happy, everybody’s happy!” as Liza put it.

This demonstrates a key principle of green products – if in doubt, go for the higher standard you can find (or try to beat it). Do this and you can’t be charged with greenwash.