What practices can your business adopt to reduce carbon emissions?

The world is facing severe changes to the climate. This is mainly due to the rising levels of greenhouse gases that trap outgoing energy from the earth, thereby retaining heat in the atmosphere. If green recovery fails and carbon emissions continue to accumulate at the prevailing rate, they could reach a record high by 2023, says the International Energy Agency. This poses an environmental risk for every living thing on the planet.

However, corporations can take proper steps to protect the environment. You can make a positive impact by calculating your company’s carbon outputs and implementing greenhouse gas reduction measures. So, how can businesses reduce carbon emissions? Here are the best tips for reducing your business’s carbon footprint.

1. Recycling

Business recycling doesn’t have to be complicated. You need a plan and a method of gathering data, like recording the type of waste materials that employees throw away.

Reusing old items such as old office furniture like desks and chairs indirectly reduces business carbon emissions. If you are doing a refurbishment, sell the old equipment rather than dispose of it. Used furniture saves your business some costs and conserves the environment because there will be no further depletion of woods and metals.

2. Quality business carbon offsetting

Carbon offsetting entails buying ‘credits’ from programs that help to eliminate CO2 from the surroundings. Planting trees is a perfect example of this approach. However, this is only effective if you take steps to reduce or eliminate emissions. Keep efficiency as a general rule before securing 100% renewable energy sources.

Beware that carbon-offsetting schemes are created differently, and their quality varies significantly. So, ensure the credits are guaranteed and certified. The cost will depend on the total carbon output if you want to go carbon-neutral (net zero total emissions). Your business will get a carbon-neutral certificate that shows you are committed to environmental sustainability, which can positively impact your sales.

3. Engaging employees

It is imperative to communicate your plans so that all staff members are aware that the company is trying to balance overall greenhouse gas emissions. Workers can become the best assets in achieving this objective with proper training. From the top leaders to the employees, ensure that everyone knows what to do.

Also, invite the employees to give suggestions on the key areas to help the organisation to be more sustainable. You will be surprised by the propositions they can make regarding business travel patterns and eco-friendly policies.

4. Hiring an energy consultant

Deploying energy-efficient methods is a great way to lower utility costs which, in turn, increases your revenue. An energy management specialist can help start you off on your journey to net-zero emissions. An expert advisor audits a company and identifies energy efficiency solutions and then guides you through the data collection process and carbon footprint calculations.

Additionally, an energy consultant can help you escape common pitfalls thanks to their expertise while ensuring your projects meet the set goals. Moreover, they offer ongoing monitoring and reporting and detect issues when they occur.

Final word

Sustainability should be part of your business mission. If you fail to adopt sustainable ways to run your company, no matter its size, you will likely face challenges soon. Following this guide means halting climate change and making the most of the available resources. But the implementation process requires concerted efforts. That’s why you must involve your workforce and outsource an energy specialist to transform your operations radically.

Contact Energy Impact today and get suggestions on the most cost-effective ways to improve your organisation’s energy usage.

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