10 tips to help your business achieve net zero
28 November 22 NetRegs
With COP27 having taken place earlier this month and the climate emergency, the need for businesses to achieve NetZero has never been clearer. Net Zero means “cutting greenhouse gas emissions to as close to zero as possible, with any remaining emissions re-absorbed from the atmosphere, by oceans and forests for instance.”
Here are some tips that can help you achieve Net Zero and save you money at the same time.
Be compliant
As a minimum (and legal) requirement, you need to check your business is compliant. Investigate what are the legal obligations for your business and its activities. More information here.
Set your baseline
Before you can reduce your consumption, you need to know what you are consuming and where you can improve. Analyse the resources your business needs to run its activities. Check out our Free E-learning “Beyond Compliance” for some guidance.
Water efficiency
In the UK, water use accounts for 6% of carbon emissions – this is same as the aviation industry. A huge amount of energy is used in producing drinking water. Having a look at your water consumption and ways you can reduce or reuse water can help you reduce your costs and improve your impact on the environment. Find more information on water efficiency here.
Waste efficiency
Having a look at your product or service’s life cycle to see where waste can be avoided or reused to reduce your overall impact can make financial sense. Find more information here.
Materials efficiency
Have you considered more sustainable materials? Have you had a look at different business models to see if they could maximize your product or services use? A solution might be to see how you can make your business more circular in its approach and processes. More information here.
Energy efficiency
On average, 24% of your business energy can be saved. Changing your appliances to more energy efficient ones, switching to renewables, putting sensors, setting timers… there is a lot you can do to reduce your business’ energy consumption. More information here.
Transport efficiency
Your fleet and your staff travel can have a significant impact on the local environment. You might want to have a look at how materials, products and staff flow in and out or your organisation. Can you partner with other businesses so no empty vans are circulating? Can you optimise your delivery route to reduce mileage? Can you change your fleet to EV? Introduce a cycle-to-work scheme? More information here.
Adapt to climate change
Dealing with current climate changes and preparing for future changes is essential for your business resilience. Knowing what changes can affect your business and acting on it is key. More information here.
Get staff on board
Buy-in from staff at all levels is key for great efficiency results. Creating a green team might be the solution. It will get staff on board and be the source of great improvement suggestions. More information on setting up a Green team on Business Energy Scotland’s Website.
Set up an environmental management plan
The next stage might be setting up an Environmental Management Plan. This will enable you to have a more resilient approach and make sure your business consistently improves. You will be able to regularly evaluate your business performance and put actions in place to improve and maintain this performance. More information here.