How to achieve environmental sustainability in your small business.

We all have a crucial role to play in the fight to protect our planet.

There’s no denying we’re already witnessing the impact of climate change. Images of corporations burning fossil fuels, destroying rainforests and dumping sewage into rivers have, tragically, become an increasingly common and normalised sight. However, the responsibility to protect our planet doesn’t solely lie with major companies. Small businesses collectively account for 53% of UK greenhouse gas emissions (British Business Bank survey 2021). We have a duty to use business as a force for good. That’s why we created our free Be Climate Confident guide. When you change the way you do things as a business owner to be climate-conscious, it can influence your industry and inspire wider change to protect our planet.

Let’s explore how.

Understand and mitigate your climate risks.

The most important concept in climate risk mitigation is understanding the limits of adaptation. We’re inevitably moving deeper into the climate emergency and, sooner or later, you’ll need to know how to change your business to survive.

Create a risk register to record all of the risks associated with your business. You might document: 

• Interruptions to the power supply
• Cyber attacks
• Incapability of directors
• Loss of a major client

Recording and planning for these risks gives you a better chance of protecting your business and the people who work there. You’re building a reputation as a business that’s serious about climate and is prepared to do things better.

Being a climate-conscious business benefits your bottom line as well as the planet.

When you actively do business sustainably, it can have a positive impact on the commercial side of your business: your costs, your brand reputation and your ability to attract new customers.

Nowadays customers expect you to take the climate emergency seriously and are more likely to do business with those who show they understand the risks and have a plan.

When you’re a climate-conscious business, you have:

• A business model fit for the future.
• The potential to save money.
• The means to attract and retain the best team.
• The ability to future-proof and mitigate potential risks.
• The means to attract better customers.
• Pride in being a good ancestor.

Sustainability measures can reduce costs.

Helping the planet while lowering your expenses is a win-win. To drive down costs over time, pay attention to your consumption of energy, water and disposable goods. The following steps are easy to implement in your office (but are just as effective at home, too):

• Change your energy supplier to one that offers a completely green tariff.
• Use bars of soap rather than regularly buying new soap dispensers.
• Switch to energy-saving light bulbs.
• Choose eco products over mainstream products which are often full of microplastics.
• Only turn on the dishwasher when it’s full.
• Turn the heating down a couple of degrees.
• Encourage more jumper-wearing.

 Look at climate-friendly alternatives to replace your current systems, i.e. solar panels, LED lights, insulation, heat pumps, battery storage, cycle-to-work schemes, electric cars, e-bikes.

Put your money where it matters to prove you’re a climate-conscious business.

It’s no longer enough to “say” what you’re going to do: you need to actually do it and be seen to be doing it, as that’s the only way your customer base will know you’re climate-conscious enough to take the right actions to support your statements.

• Move your personal and business accounts to a bank built on ethical investments. Use bank.green to make sure you’re with a provider who doesn’t fund fossil fuel extraction.
• Make sure your personal investments and pension plan are with a sustainable or green fund. Our sister company, Switchfoot Wealth, only recommends ethical investments 100% covered by Science Based Targets (SBTi).
• Check whether your company pension scheme is sustainable. According to the Green Pensions Charter, changing your pension investments cuts your carbon 21 times more than going vegetarian, giving up flying and switching your energy provider.

Achieve climate confidence with our full downloadable guide.

The steps we’ve discussed are just a handful of actions that will contribute to your business becoming climate-conscious and sustainable. Download the full Be Climate Confident PDF for a comprehensive guide to ensuring your organisation is doing what it can to protect our planet. It explores how to:

• Build a sustainable supply chain.
• Engage in impactful activism.
• Secure grants for sustainability projects.
• Apply for B-corp status.
• Use SMART goals to measure your sustainability impact.

Ready to get serious about your sustainability? Download your free Be Climate Confident guide now.