Making Your Business More Sustainable: A Zingy Guide to Your First Steps
Charting your Path to a Greener Tomorrow
In today’s business landscape, sustainability isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a necessity. At 1.5 Degrees, we have been carbon footprinting businesses like yours for five years. Our experts are here to guide you through the process, helping you avoid pitfalls and create a robust sustainability plan. We pride ourselves on being friendly, helpful, and collaborative, ensuring that your journey towards sustainability is as smooth and effective as possible.
1. Knowledge is Power: Measure Your Carbon Footprint
You can’t change what you don’t know. The first step is to measure your carbon footprint using the Government’s Environmental reporting guidelines for businesses. Even though their 152 page document might seem quite daunting, we’ve taken their process and adapted to make it effective for businesses like yours. It’ll require a little detective work but the data is usually available from your financial accounts and systems. Yes, the initial measurement may require some assumptions but don’t worry—that’s perfectly fine. We’ll be there to guide you every step of the way, refining and improving our data as we go.
2. Analyse and Engage: Identify High Emission Areas
Once we have a snapshot of your carbon footprint, it’s time to dive into the details. We’ll meet with your management team and/or board to pinpoint the areas with the largest emissions. These are often the biggest cost centres too! By highlighting these areas, we can start to see where immediate changes can have the most significant impact. Our expertise ensures that we can help you identify and tackle these areas effectively.
3. Plan and Prioritise: Tackle the Low-Hanging Fruit
With a clear understanding of your emissions, we can create a targeted plan to reduce them. Start with the low-hanging fruit—simple yet effective changes like switching to a green energy supplier or encouraging staff to rethink their travel habits. These initial steps can make a substantial difference and are often easy to implement. Our collaborative approach means we’ll work together to develop the best strategies for your business.
4. Take Action and Track Progress
It’s time to put our plan into action. Implement the changes and report back on the progress. Regular updates will help keep everyone accountable and allow us to celebrate the successes along the way. Consistent tracking ensures that we stay on course and make adjustments as needed. We’re here to support you throughout this process, ensuring that your sustainability efforts are effective and measurable.
5. Communicate and Collaborate: Share the Vision
A sustainable future requires teamwork and transparency. Work with our communications team to share your sustainability plan with your board, staff, and customers. Clear and consistent communication helps build trust and ensures that everyone is on the same page, working towards the same goals. We’ll help you craft the perfect message to showcase your commitment to sustainability.
Annual Iteration: The Key to Continuous Improvement
Sustainability is an ongoing journey, not a one-time project. Each year, we’ll revisit our plans, improve our reporting, further reduce emissions (and costs), and enhance employee engagement. By mitigating existing emissions annually, we move closer to our (and the Government’s) ultimate goal—becoming a net-zero organisation. Our experience and collaborative approach will ensure that your sustainability efforts evolve and improve year after year.
Let’s Create a Greener Future Together
Starting your business on the path to sustainability may seem daunting, but with our expert guidance and collaborative support, you’re well on your way. Remember, knowledge is the foundation, planning and action drive progress, and communication and iteration ensure long-term success. At 1.5 Degrees, we’re committed to helping you every step of the way. Let’s work together to create a greener, more sustainable future for your business and our planet.
The sooner we start the easier it will be for your organisation and the greater impact we’ll have on the environment.
Ready to take the first step? Then drop us a line for an initial chat.