Five tips to #shutupandact to make your business more sustainable 

COP27 began this week in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. This time the tag line is “Together for Implementation” which is aiming to highlight the importance of moving from negotiating to implementing the initiatives that have not been actioned following previous COPs, as well as shining a spotlight on developing nations who are navigating the adaptation to the reality of climate change.   

As the name suggests, the UN’s annual climate change conference is now 27 years old. Since it began in 1995, we have seen a significant increase in extreme weather events. Heatwaves, droughts and severe rainstorms are now more frequent, each time taking both our lives and livelihoods, and this is attributable to a rise in global temperatures caused by human influence.

It might not be surprising then to hear that a recent World Risk Poll by Gallup found most people across the globe consider climate change a threat, and believe it will only become a more serious threat in the future.

Previous COPs have struggled to implement the promised climate action, which has resulted in a lack of trust towards the event. They tend to be a platform for industrialised nations to showcase failed negotiations, non-binding commitments, and disagreements over consequences for non-compliance. Meanwhile, things get worse. People, mostly in developing nations, continue to suffer the real and lasting effects of climate change.

 That’s why this year CarbonClick is calling on the delegates at COP27 and, indeed, the leaders of companies and industries everywhere to #shutupandact.

For some industries this will take massive investments of time and money to enact systemic reforms, which must begin now. Meanwhile, let’s not lose sight of what we can do now to protect people and the planet.

Here are some tips for you, as a business, to progress meaningful climate action: 

1. Communicate authentically on sustainability

Celebrate progress against your sustainability objectives, but don’t overhype what you do. Regularly report progress on carbon reductions against your decarbonisation goals and other environmental impacts including, for example, carbon offsets, water conservation and waste reduction.

Share learnings. No one’s “nailed” climate action, so avoid the false impression of perfection. You will appear to be genuine and help others on their sustainability journey if you can share learnings and insights.

2. Take positive actions for a more sustainable and ethical supply chain

Time and again, companies excuse inaction by explaining parts of the supply chain are not owned by them. Even so, you can do more than simply monitor suppliers. Intervene for real change.

Withdraw support from suppliers involved in environmental and worker rights abuses, and move production to only ethical suppliers and within regions where regulation protects both the environment and workers.

3. Embrace high quality carbon offsetting

There is no fast track to decarbonising many industries. Carbon offsetting presents a practical way to support green initiatives that are making reductions in carbon emissions, allowing companies to compensate for hard to reduce emissions. Do this by purchasing carbon credits from high-trust, fully-transparent providers. Well-managed reforestation, biodiversity and clean energy initiatives are a source of negative emissions that can be used to offset the hard-to-abate emissions within upstream activities, and it can be done right now.

4. Invest in sustainable innovation

Sustainability presents an opportunity for growth. Invest in sustainable initiatives and technologies by funding research and development into sustainable practices, embracing sustainable raw materials, and adopting circular consumption models, where applicable.

5. Help your customers adopt new, more sustainable habits

The vast majority of consumers want companies, like you, to help, encourage and instruct them on how to become more climate friendly and more ethical. So step up: encourage and guide consumers to adopt new and more sustainable habits.

These five tips are just some of the actions you can begin now to fight climate change. Some of them can be achieved at low-cost and effort, such as introducing high-trust carbon offsetting and engaging customers in a transparent way on climate friendly behaviors. To progress others, you may need to dedicate resources or engage consultants. Either way, we can help you ensure your strategy exhibits high-integrity.

If you are ready to #shutupandact, reach out to us at [email protected] or visit our website at carbonclick.com. You can also stay in touch with COP27 by following Dave Rouse, CEO, CarbonClick on Twitter at @TheDaveRouse or on Linkedin at https://www.linkedin.com/in/daverousenz/.