According to the Global Footprint Network, an influential charitable think tank much quoted by the UN and world governments, we currently consume the resource equivalent of 1.6 earths annually!
Earth ‘Overshoot Day’ – the day on which humanity’s demand for ecological resources and services in a given year exceeds what the Earth can regenerate – fell on July 29th in 2021, and in the UK it was even earlier on 19th May…
In other words, we are ‘using up’ the earth’s capital and it’s ability to support us at an alarming rate! So we all have a really important role to play here – whether as individuals or as business owners…
By the end of this century there will be 11 billion people living on our planet – in 2021 the number was 7.8 billion. That’s an extra 3.2 billion or 40% more people to support on Earth!
At the same time, man-made climate change and global warming – which is now highly likely to hit 2+ degrees Celsius by the end of this century – is set to increase the number of extreme weather events we see, lead to rising sea levels and result in large areas of densely populated land becoming uninhabitable and turning others to barren desert…
Our economies, livelihoods and well-being ultimately all ultimately depend on our most precious asset: Nature. So we have to ensure that our future demands on nature don’t exceed it’s supply and that we increase nature’s supply relative to it’s current level
In other words, we have to fix our relationship with the natural world or destroy human prosperity, our well-being and our future.
Sustainability – the ‘race to zero’ and the management of our natural resources on which our very way of life depends therefore is the biggest challenge facing the global business community this century!
But as a small business how can I possibly make a difference?
However small the changes we think we can identify and make, by collectively taking action these will add up to have a real impact – even something as simple as helping your staff get to work!
A good place to start is by thinking about your current environmental and social governance and areas you can make your business more sustainable… Take a look at the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals (SDG’s) – https://www.undp.org/sustainable-development-goals. What commitments do you want to make here? Importantly, canvass opinion – perhaps appointing an individual to lead on this. It’s not just about CO2 emissions – there are other important environmental and social aspects to consider!
When reducing your carbon footprint, it might be helpful to do this in the context of your Scope 1, (direct) 2 (indirect), 3 (wider value chain) emissions – see the ‘GHP Standard’ here; https://ghgprotocol.org/corporate-standard.
Though it’s SME Climate Hub Initiative, https://businessclimatehub.org/uk/, part of an international programme of support and advice for small businesses, the UK government is asking you to take the first step on your journey, by committing to cutting your carbon emissions in half by 2030 and to reach ‘net zero’ by 2050!
On making your commitment, they’ll get in touch with tools to help you understand your emissions, how to tackle them, and how to share what you’re doing with your customers and community. They’ll also keep you up to date with ideas, support and incentives to help you meet your commitment.
How might you move towards a more ‘Circular Economy’ approach in your business as opposed to the ‘Take, Make, Waste’ industrialised linear economy which is still so prevalent across the world today and responsible for depleting our natural resources at such an alarming rate…
How much waste do you generate, what happens to your waste, can this in-part be designed out of your processes or can it be re-purposed for someone else’s benefit? What ‘symbiosis’ might exist with other businesses for example for you to work together!
What happens to your product at the end of it’s useful like? Can it be re-cycled? What incentives are there to do this? e.g. mobile phones. How many have you got sitting at home doing nothing?
Also, pay close attention to changes in the legislative environment – the recent environment act passed in October 2021 placed restrictions on single use plastics and the exporting of plastic waste as well as bio-diversity uplift targets e.g. in construction projects.
Sustainability as part of your business strategy…
The UK is committed by law to achieving ‘net zero carbon’ by 2050 and to reducing our carbon emissions by half this decade! Businesses are increasingly coming under the spotlight to demonstrate their environment credentials – both in a commercial context and in society…
As part of the Gov’t’s Ten Point Plan to Build Back Greener updated pre-Cop 26 in October, it was announced that any organisation now bidding for Govt contracts in excess of £5million must commit to achieving net zero by 2050.
Local authorities and other public sector organisations like schools and colleges for example are now also actively pursuing more ‘sustainable’ supply chain selection criteria.
It is important therefore that businesses embrace this and getting ahead of the curve here!
However you decide to address it, ‘sustainability’ should be a fundamental part of your business strategy – helping safeguard our environment one choice at a time and future-proofing your business in the process!
Martin White is Founder of Green Business Hub – https://www.greenbusinesshub.eco/.