Amid all the chaos in financial markets and the upheavals in the "real economy", the continued drive to force more businesses to think "green" would appear to be a prime candidate for the (presumably low-carbon) back burner.

So here's a timely and well argued case for why firms of all sizes should think twice. Bankers may not be flavour of the month and it may stick in the throat to get a lecture from one, but in his foreword, Barclays chairman Marcus Agius explains it well: "Climate change is the challenge of our generation... sustainability needs to be an intrinsic part of our day-to-day practices."

The content of Goodall's book is well aimed. It does a good job of sticking to the sound, practical advice and focuses on hard business benefits such as reducing waste, energy use and costs, rather than the more emotive issues of climate change.

There is no attempt to appeal to or appease climate change and sustainability cynics, but they are unlikely to be seeking guidance on how to make their business greener. For anyone who is interested, this is an excellent summary of how to start going about it.

Profile Books, £9.99