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Why would you think about reducing your business’s carbon footprint? Well, there are a number of reasons; Increasing your brand reputation, attracting talent, moral obligation, avoiding penalties, making efficiencies and savings to name a few.
Recently British Business Bank research found that small businesses are responsible for 30% of all UK greenhouse gas emissions; but, the British Chamber of Commerce found only one in ten businesses surveyed are currently measuring their emissions. I hear you – this doesn’t mean to say small businesses aren’t taking action – but it does suggest they don’t know the impact that any of their actions are having!
Your carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that your business produces directly or indirectly. If you want to know what your current footprint is so you can in turn report the impact of any changes you make there are online calculators which can be used to find out what your business’s carbon footprint is. Too many to list – Google Carbon Footprint Calculator. Here are just some of the many ways your business can reduce its carbon footprint:
Invest in new high-quality tech and upgrade your machinery
Old machinery is known to produce unnecessary negative effects on the environment so investing in new machinery can minimise your impact. An added benefit could also be increasing your output. Although new tech is costly there is sometimes funding available to purchase machinery which is energy efficient and will make a significant amount of carbon savings. Speak to our business support team at step@stepscotland.co.uk.
You should also not let machines run down until it is absolutely necessary for repair – I know we all do this – I definitely have appliances past their sell-by date! Keeping machines regularly maintained will keep costs down in the long run and ensure they will be working at optimum capacity, making them more energy efficient.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Although we are all used to recycling at home, many of us are guilty of forgetting to recycle in the workplace. Recycling is so important. For instance, recycling a can could save enough energy to power a computer for 1 hour – and there’s no limit to how often that can could be recycled! So it’s important to encourage your staff to recycle in the workplace just like they (well most of them) do at home.
Set up a recycling centre in your workplace and make it clear to employees what they can recycle and how they should separate their waste. Don’t have general waste bins in offices and recycling only in different areas this will simply encourage laziness.
Before you go to the recycle bin though – think, could you reuse it? Our throwaway culture means we too often throw things away that could be reused. When you reuse, instead of recycling, you save all the energy that would be needed to re-manufacture the product. This in turn reduces pollution and waste because the need for raw materials is reduced, which saves water and forest supplies—a win-win.
Reducing water can have a really positive effect on your carbon footprint. We often forget that even though we could sell it – it takes energy to get water to a position where we drink it and use it for manufacturing.
Staff Initiative – Provide your teams with reusable travel cups that keep drinks warm and cool as a means to save water and single-use cups.
Sustainable sourcing
It’s no longer enough to simply ensure you (and your staff) are doing the right thing when it comes to the environment you should also be using sustainable suppliers.
Even if you manufacture your product you will still source some kind of material for something. But are you too quick to jump onto Amazon and order what you need? You know nothing about the product’s origins, its supplier or whether they have a sustainable ethos, you could in fact be supporting a business that is detrimental to the environment. So your business can do its part by using suppliers that are eco-focused. Extra points if they are local too!
Look at your suppliers, vendors, pension provider and partners across your business to understand their commitment to Net Zero and use this to purchase or renegotiate contracts in the future.
Although your biggest impact will come from internal changes, getting the world to net zero needs to be a collective effort, so it’s important to do everything you can internally and externally.
Recycled and (re)used resources
Like recycling, (re)using recycled materials can help your business cut its carbon footprint. Recycled products may sometimes be more expensive, but the eventual environmental cost is much higher and if you are cost-saving in other areas due to being sustainable, investing in recycled materials shouldn’t be a problem.
Using recycled paper can help to reduce deforestation and preserve natural habitats. The destruction of natural resources has, in the last 30 years, led to the world’s insect population declining by almost 25%, we always hear about the bees but butterflies, in particular, have seen a decline of 50% in numbers since 1976. As we now know the insect population affects the entire food chain. Simply using recycled materials can preserve and protect natural habitats and thus the environment within them.
You may wish to buy second-hand rather than recycled materials such as second-hand office furniture or refurbished IT equipment, reusing such things minimises demand for new items to be manufactured and the old perfectly useable ones from going to landfill.
Although biodegradable, also think about your food waste. Food still has to be manufactured so there is still carbon connected to its waste.
If your business has premises consider introducing composting. By setting up a composting scheme at your business, you can help to reduce landfill methane emissions.
Staff Initiative – A green team can work on a compost programme which could see compost being given to local farms, gardens and schools seeing an additional community benefit as well as saving the environment.
Monitor and avoid single-use products
Do you know what materials you use once and then recycle or waste? These not only are a waste of money but are terrible for the environment. In fact, in Scotland, a new Single-use plastic ban has seen items being commercially manufactured and used. Conduct a single-use audit – find these items, then find alternatives!
If you can’t find alternatives for these items ensure the ones you use are recyclable.
Switch to a sustainable travel policy
When was the last time your travel policy was updated? Unsurprisingly transport emissions are responsible for around a fifth of global carbon emissions
Your travel policy should encourage your teams to use active travel (such as walking and cycling) or public transport where they can to keep their carbon emissions down. As an added benefit they may also save on petrol and parking. Many companies are introducing a public transport scheme where the company will pay for your car should you travel to work in this way.
Staff Initiative – Create a Car Sharing environment. Car sharing not only reduces emissions it allows for cheaper commuting. Although you can’t enforce car sharing, you can make it easier for staff who are interested, by asking staff (including new hires) about their commute and if they would be open to car sharing.
There are more innovative recent examples of businesses setting good sustainable travel standards through Slow Travel Policies. A slow travel policy introduces additional annual leave to someone who chooses to travel on holiday via a slower means such as sea, or overland rather than by flying.
If your business has company vehicles you should make the move to EVs (Electric vehicles) if you haven’t already. An estimated 38 million tonnes of CO2 is produced by cars each year in the UK, so if all businesses and individuals switched to EVs we could make a huge reduction in our carbon footprint.
Staff Initiative – Introduce a Cycle to Work scheme which sees you, as the employer, purchasing a bike that an employee ‘hires’ through salary sacrifice – this provides a cost saving as the employee does not have to pay income tax or National Insurance on the bike.
Get a green energy provider
If your business is not already on a green tariff with a renewable energy provider, this can be a quick win. If you rent your premises, speak to your landlord to find out what energy efficiency measures are being put in place.
Switching off and unplugging
Leaving lights on in an unused room or ‘Backpool illuminations’ as my mum would say is no good for the environment or your bottom line. Remind staff to switch off lights, and install timers or even sensors to ensure your lighting isn’t on when it’s not needed.
Similarly leaving any devices switched off but plugged in still drains electricity, encourage your staff to unplug devices or switch off at the plug.
Turn down the heat
Turning down your business’s boiler or heating by just one degree could make a significant difference to your energy use – and you won’t need to go running for a jumper, you won’t even notice it!
Staff Initiative—Ok, if your team feel cold, provide a branded fleece or thermal top – it’s more energy efficient.
Invest in energy-efficient lighting and appliances
Replacing fluorescent lighting fixtures with more energy-efficient LED lighting can have a great impact on your environmental impact. Although LED’s can be more costly initially the annual running costs are significantly less.
Ensure you are opting for equipment with high energy efficiency ratings and with energy-saving modes to get the most out of your hardware.
Keep documents digital
We’ve seen it at the bottom of e-mails for years – think before you print. Well, it’s true! One of the easiest ways for businesses to reduce their carbon footprint is to keep documents in a digital form. Not just e-mails though – do you really need to print that agenda, those minutes that report? Avoid the urge to print a hard copy unless absolutely vital – Paper for purpose only as I would say!
If that document is so vital that it simply has to be printed, then print in black and white, double-sided then switch off the printer!
Staff Initiative – In some businesses where printing of documents was a habit difficult to break, printers were removed from offices and centralised to avoid the urge.
Digital footprint
Ok so we know printing our e-mails is a no-no but how many of us send unnecessary e-mails (a simply thanks drives me up the wall!) or emails to all when only a few were needed? In a recent survey by OVO energy, almost three-quarters of people were completely unaware of the carbon footprint associated with their emails. The same research calculated that if everyone sent just ONE less email a day the UK could reduce its carbon output by 16,433 tonnes a year – which is the equivalent of taking 3,334 diesel cars off the road!!!
Additionally to decrease your digital carbon footprint you should avoid sending attachments instead opting to share links that others can access.
Staff Initiative – People need to create habits when it comes to breaking digital cycles – it is ok not to reply thanks, how do I send a shareable link? Upskilling and new digital norms need to be introduced across many businesses.
Online meetings were much rarer before COVID-19, but thankfully for the environment, they have become the norm. If there is no real reason for someone to drive to the office or
someone else’s hosting it virtually will
minimize your business’s carbon footprint.
Carbon offsetting
Once your business has taken the steps to reduce its carbon emissions as much as it can, offsetting can be the final step in reaching net zero. Offsetting involves investing in the programme which has a positive effect on the environment thus balancing your business’s overall emissions. You could become carbon neutral or even net positive – having a positive impact on the environment.
Carbon offsetting projects can involve planting trees, investing in renewable energy, community projects and more.
Staff Initiative – Planting trees together or having a staff garden, is a great way to boost staff wellbeing whilst offsetting your company’s carbon emissions.
Next Steps
Calculating and cutting down your business’s carbon footprint can feel like a big STEP (double pun intended), but you should be proud to start the journey. Not only will you feel better about your business, but you’ll cut costs.
It can be a complex process which takes time and effort, but you can get there! And if you need support throughout your journey that’s where we can help.
Through Business Gateway Stirling our Business Support team can meet with any Stirling-based business and support their business including creating and implementing a carbon-cutting strategy. If you would like to meet a business adviser contact stirling@bgateway.com.
