They say every bit counts and when it comes to reducing your carbon footprint, it really does. A large portion of the consumption of resources and the greatest users of non-renewable resources are, in fact, the businesses and not individuals. While individuals actively make a difference by choosing to support sustainable brands, the biggest impact is felt when more businesses switch to greener principles. It is imperative for the future of our planet that we decouple economic growth from high emission energy usage. Here are eight simple ways to meet zero emissions.
1. Lobby government
Lobbying the government doesn’t have to be an individual (or business) effort you take on by yourself. Join an organisation like Citizens Climate Lobby Australia to get your voice heard. The benefit is that while you’re doing good work, your brand is gaining recognition along the way too.
2. Encourage green ways of working
Look at the process behind the most C02 emissions in your business. It could be that you utilise a service or product that emits C02, indirectly making you responsible for it. This might be in your chauffeuring service or the practices that a supplier has to undergo. Source sustainably and look for ways to practice sustainably. Even if it means switching one at a time until you have switched all of the machines to zero-emissions versions.
3. Buy sustainably
The more demand there is on businesses to trade sustainably, the more sustainable brands we will see. As a business that sources products or services from other companies in order to trade, you can commit to supporting other companies that are sustainable.
4. Carbon capture and storage
Does your business practices result in a lot of carbon emissions, and you’ve turned a blind eye because you feel your hands are tied? It’s understandable, but not necessary. Step into your values and let your conscience speak out. You can capture the carbon you emit and store it or repurpose it in a process known as CCUS. Utilise a third-party service provider to capture the carbon dioxide (CO2) from fuel combustion or industrial processes and transport it via ship or pipeline to industries that can utilise it in their production processes.
5. Offset
According to Bloomberg, a “company cannot offset its way to net-zero emissions”, however, an offset can form part of your transition towards becoming net-zero, if there are still processes you rely on that can not be handled without emissions. However, it is imperative to keep researching alternative methods so that the need to offset can be trumped by replacing those practices with sustainable approaches instead.
6. Turn off machines
If you’re transitioning from a standard high-energy consumptive practice that emitted a fair amount of carbon, any changes you make are positive. Slowly implementing new practices help to make the change a more sustainable one that is going to be long term. We need a greater number of people committed to consistent change, rather than a select number who sporadically make drastic changes and then revert back to their old ways.
7. Switch power providers
Not all power providers are equal. Switch to a provider that offers sustainable solutions. You can also switch your appliances to eco-friendly models. For example, lawnmowers now have rechargeable electric models that don’t emit any carbon whatsoever at all.
8. Understand consumer trends
Consumer trends indicate that most modern-day shoppers value companies that have good ethics. Everyone wants to support a company that can support positive social change, assist in the fight to protect the environment, or help to support wildlife conservation. Perform in-depth consumer research to find out how your target market can help you and create outreach campaigns and events to clean up the environment or showcase new zero-emissions technology to replace outdated tools.
