How Can Businesses Reduce Their Carbon Footprint?
The realities of climate change are now so stark as to be completely undeniable and, as such, it’s essential that we all assume some level of personal responsibility for the impact that our lives have on the environment, building resilience into natural systems and ensuring that resources abound for future generations.
However, individuals can only achieve so much and the onus now is very much on industry and businesses across all sectors to reduce their carbon footprint to help support the drive towards net zero and a more sustainable future for all.
The facts speak for themselves
Figures from the World Resources Institute show that global greenhouse gas emissions climbed by 51 per cent between 1990 and 2021, leading to rising temperatures and more frequent extreme weather events such as floods, storms, megadroughts and heatwaves.
These emissions come from five economic sectors: energy, agriculture, industrial processes, waste and land use/land change and forestry.
The energy sector produces the most emissions, accounting for 75.7 per cent around the world and including those from electricity and heat, transportation, manufacturing and construction, and buildings.
Non-energy sectors, meanwhile, contribute a quarter of all global emissions, with agriculture the second highest emitting sector, accounting for 11.7 per cent. Livestock, farming and agricultural soils are some of the biggest emitters in the sector, while agriculture can also drive emissions through energy use and land use change.
However, industry is now the fastest growing source of emissions, with industrial processes climbing by 225 per cent since 1990.
So, with all this in mind:
How can businesses reduce their carbon footprint?
First of all, you actually need to know what your carbon footprint is, which will involve a review of everything from your fuel and energy consumption to transportation, waste generated, business size and number of employees, and F-gas certificates (where appropriate in relation to refrigeration and air-conditioning systems).
Make sure you take into account direct emissions from sources that you own or control, indirect emissions from energy consumption and all other indirect emissions from across the entire supply chain, including purchased goods and services.
Once armed with this information, you will be better able to identify which carbon reduction measures would be most applicable to you.
Strategies to consider include:
Transitioning to renewable energy
Given that energy consumption is one of the biggest culprits where greenhouse gas emissions are concerned, moving to renewables could make a significant impact. Options include solar panels, biomass and anaerobic digestion for electricity and heat production, wind farms and so on.
Carbon offsetting
Another option is carbon offsetting, where you compensate for any CO2 emissions you generate by participating in projects that reduce or remove the same amount from the atmosphere.
Note, however, that carbon offsetting won’t reduce emissions at source and it’s advisable to pursue other ways of reducing or avoiding emissions first before going down this route.
Embracing energy efficiency
Invest in eco-friendly office equipment such as LED lighting systems, efficient kitchen appliances, smart thermostats and thermostatic radiator valves, improve building insulation and engage your workforce in your energy-efficient efforts, ensuring that everyone knows what their own personal responsibilities are.
Of course, these are only a few suggestions to serve as a jumping-off point for your business to become more sustainable as time goes on. If you’d like to find out more, get in touch with the Beyond Procurement team today.