Britain's small and medium-sized businesses should seize the opportunity offered by today's extra day of work to plan green initiatives capable of cutting their carbon footprint and energy bills, according to sustainable business advisory body Envirowise.

Although 79 per cent of small and mid-sized enterprises regard environmental issues to be important to their business, Envirowise data shows a third are yet to take any action.

The body said that among the most common excuses quoted for this inaction was lack of time, making February 29th the ideal time to begin work on a green initiative.

Envirowise advised that as a starting point businesses should take just a few hours to write a new environmental policy that will demonstrate its sustainable intentions and credentials to both customers and competitors.

"There are many simple steps that can be taken by businesses to start the ball rolling," said Dr Martin Gibson, Envirowise programme director. He added that implementing a review of suppliers to ensure they have an environmental policy or contacting the office landlord about water and energy-saving measures can have an almost immediate impact on a firm's environmental performance.

He also claimed that by using the extra day to launch an environmental initiative, businesses can start to take advantage of enhanced reputation and cost savings.

Envirowise also urged firms interested in cutting their environmental impact to contact it for free advice. "Businesses could pull together their bills for key materials and utilities and get help from Envirowise to assess where they can save money and how to get started," advised a spokesman for the organisation.

The calls come on the same day as the National Trust opted to give its 4,800 staff and 49,000 volunteers the day off to pursue environmental activities. The initiative, which forms the centrepiece of its Great Green Leap Day campaign, was announced earlier this month and won praise from the TUC for helping to promote green behaviour and improved work-life balance.