Did you know that companies with fewer than 500 employees in the United States would likely be the fourth largest climate polluters on the planet?
Reducing your business's carbon footprint is crucial for combating climate change and is increasingly required by regulation and customer demand. Making these reductions involves a combination of strategies, adjustments, and conscious choices across various operational aspects.
What to Consider
There are a few big things you should consider in framing your thinking:
- Use data, not assumptions. Be guided to reduce your emissions by the data provided by your measurement system. Your company is unique, so the pathways for emission reduction may be similar to others but will be specific to you.- Take the first step. Do not think that you have to do it all at once. Reducing your footprint is a big task, but it's done across many small steps. You only need to do a little bit every year to go a long way.- Set a goal. Choose what makes sense for your business, but your default goal should be in line with the Paris Agreement. That is: 50% emissions reductions by 2030 and offset what you have not yet cut. There will be rewards for being more ambitious in cutting your footprint, but if you are setting something less ambitious, be ready to explain why.
