Climate change awareness has become more prominent with the rising temperatures and extreme climate events taking place across the world. As we become more aware of these events, it's obvious that changes need to be made in our daily lifestyle practices to positively influence the environment. It can be overwhelming to make changes to our lifestyle, especially when we are not sure how to implement these new habits.
For businesses, this could be an opportunity to re-evaluate their current activities, commit to a robust sustainability strategy, and improve their reputation. A decarbonization strategy can be challenging to start, but here are some steps that can help businesses on their journey toward transition:
There are many reasons why it is beneficial to measure your carbon footprint. A carbon footprint assessment allows your company to understand the most intensive drivers of carbon emissions in your business activity. This will help you prioritize and plan your reduction strategy accordingly. Measuring carbon footprints also forces companies to account for data that is not purely financial. Not only will this help you to understand where inefficiencies are in your business, but will also contribute to implementing cost-saving measures.
One of the things you will probably notice from a carbon footprint assessment is that you have to collect different data from various suppliers.
This allows you to engage with your suppliers and understand the carbon impact of the goods you purchase. Here you can motivate your suppliers to adopt carbon reduction strategies and in turn, contribute to creating a list of sustainable suppliers.
While this may seem simple in practice, it is often difficult for businesses to make final decisions on when travel is necessary. A travel policy will set boundaries and ease the decision-making process.
Potential recommendations include:
Creating an environment that promotes carbon emission reduction shows commitment as people become increasingly more environmentally conscious.
Putting in place workshops or resources to help employees understand how they can reduce their carbon emissions could also be very beneficial. Other incentive methods can be subsidizing public transportation costs, encouraging ride-sharing, or carpooling to work.
Implement waste reduction practices within the office to decrease the amount of garbage entering landfills. This can be done by; ensuring there is a proper recycling program in place, starting a green team to conduct annual waste audits, recycling electronic equipment, going paperless, and banning plastic bottles.
As well as, encouraging litter-less lunches, and working with suppliers to ensure packaging is composed of recycled materials3.
As technology is integral to running businesses, an effective method of controlling carbon emissions is ensuring that your technology is sustainable. In France, 99% of a smartphone’s carbon footprint is linked to its production and transport to France1.
Next time, when replacing electronic equipment, opt to repair your existing device or purchase second-hand digital goods.
There are many ways in which your company can reduce its overall energy consumption levels. By ensuring the lights are off during the evening, devices are unplugged when they're not in use, and implementing energy-efficient solutions.
For example, motion-sensor lighting, and temperature regulating systems. This practice ensures that the office space is not over-air-conditioned during summer or overheating during the winter.
Another controllable and effective solution is to look at the office energy supply and transition to renewable energy sources. There are various suppliers, such as ekWateur and Enercoop that provide 100% renewable energy solutions2. By significantly reducing the amount of fossil fuels used, you can decrease your overall carbon emissions.
For more tips on how to reduce your environmental impact, check out our blog: "Sustainable Fashion: How to Reduce your Environmental Impact".
These are just a few recommendations a company can follow to reduce its environmental impact. Contact ClimateSeed to structure a detailed strategy.
Source:
1 Caulier, 2021
2 Clément, 2017
https://youmatter.world/en/actions-companies-climate-change-environment-sustainability/
3 CleanRiver, 2019
https://cleanriver.com/14-ways-can-reduce-office-waste/