10 Ways to Get Started

Agree why you are doing this.

Businesses often jump into sustainability without really working out why they are doing it. This can of course be simply because it’s the right thing to do, but without strong leadership and intergrity, this can often lead to other initiatives taking priority and momentum being lost. It often helps to establish all of the commercial opportunities that come with more sustainable business practice, such as appealing to more conscious customers, attracting the right employees, and securing responsible investment. It is also important to understand the risks, which could be directly related to changing weather, supply chain disruption, or simply falling behind and losing business to other more sustainable competitors.

Understand your energy use.

Without getting into too much detail on greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and Scopes, it is good for all businesses to understand the energy they consume. Initially this means tracking your gas, electricity and company vehicle fuel bills. In time, it will also mean looking at all your business operations including your supply chain.

Investigate renewable energy.

Quite straightforward this one – investigate your options to switch to renewable energy supply. You may also be in a position to install items such as solar panels to generate your own energy.

Understand your waste.

Most businesses create a lot of waste. A good starting point is to track and understand what you are throwing away. Then you can work out a plan to improve your recycling regime, and most importantly establish ways to eliminate unnecessary waste.

Conduct a single-use plastics audit.

If you work through all of the single-use plastics that you use, you can start to create a plan to find better alternatives or, better still, eliminate them all together.

Review what you buy.

To understand your wider carbon footprint, you need to scrutinise what you buy. Do you really need the item? What is it made of? What is it wrapped in? Where does it come from? Who made it? How will it be transported and delivered? Is it built to last? How will it be disposed of (where will it end up)? Is there a green, more sustainable option?

Review your food offering (if applicable).

Simple tweaks to your food offering can make a big difference. Including and promoting more locally-sourced, seasonal items is a good step, as well as incorporating more plant-based items.

Think about your handprint (as well as your footprint).

While we are thinking about reducing our negative carbon footprint, it is also important to think about our positive handprint. This is all of the work we do to support people, our employees and communities with a helping hand.

Look at different accreditation frameworks.

Many businesses are looking to obtain third party sustainability accreditation to validate their actions. This can be extremely valuable, but also confusing in terms of which one to choose. The advice here is take your time finding one that is right for you, but try not to see it simply as a one-off tick box exercise. It should provide you with an actionable improvement framework, not just a badge.

Get everyone on board.

Sustainability doesn’t work if it is treated as a side project. It needs to become part of business as usual. To do this, you need everyone on board, from owners/management to new joiners. If everyone in the business starts to think and challenge their day-to-day behaviour, you will have created a long-lasting new culture of sustainable thinking and action.