The rise of corporate carbon neutrality: what it means for your business

Humanity is rapidly moving towards a more sustainable future as we look to combat man-made emissions and climate change that jeopardise the environment. The Paris Agreement saw 196 nations sign a treaty in 2016, vowing to reduce their greenhouse emissions to head towards a carbon net-zero future by 2050.

Outside of this agreement, the world’s three largest emitters have also made strong advances towards a sustainable future. Newly-elected US President Joe Biden has outlined a detailed Plan for Climate Change and Environmental Justice, while China and India have constructed large-scale wind and solar plants with plans for many more renewable energy sources in the planning and construction phases.

To achieve a greener future, however, we all have a part to play towards personal carbon offsetting. It is extremely important that businesses look towards neutrality – not only for the planet but for their future success.

Lead the way towards sustainability

Businesses are one of the primary emitters of greenhouse gases. They have a responsibility to reduce those emissions and offset the ones they can’t if we are to achieve a carbon net-zero future.

Your customers are very aware of this, too, and 88 per cent of them want their brands to help them become more environmentally friendly and ethical in their daily lives. They want to reduce their footprint and be guided by the brands they purchase and the services they use. By heading towards sustainable businesses, they are reducing their own impact on the planet – so if you don’t take action, then you are going to disappoint a large portion of your consumer base.

How to achieve carbon neutrality

The first step is to work out your carbon footprint so that you have a metric to work on and goals you can set.

To measure your impact on the environment, it is best to enlist the support of independent carbon experts like CarbonClick, who can provide all the data tools you need to understand your footprint and set targets to reduce it.

Once you have this data and set your sustainably driven goals, it is time to roll out measures that will reduce your footprint. This can include simple measures like improving your recycling operations by installing more recycle bins around the workplace, organising and encouraging car-pooling, reducing and improving business travel arrangements, installing smart technology to monitor your electricity use, and turning off lights and equipment that is not in use.

This extends to your operations and the products you manufacture or services you provide. Developing ways to reduce your emissions can include using more recycled materials and installing solar panels and battery solutions to reduce your dependence on fossil fuels. Then for the remaining emissions that you can’t eliminate, you can offset them by investing in environmental projects around the world.