It’s not enough to rely on governments to solve the climate crisis. There’s a lot that business owners can do and remember, every little helps.
Let’s start with your energy use. First you’ve got to measure how much you’re using now. There’s the gas or electricity you’re using to heat and light your premises and the fuel to make your products. Then there’s the fuel you use for company vehicles. Once you know how much you use then you can see where you could cut down. Keep measuring and see what you save. (Could make your business more profitable too.) You can use government conversion tables to see what your use means in terms of CO2.
There’s a lot of emphasis on green energy and you should try and use the greenest fuels but it’s also about how much energy you actually use. There are ways you can reduce your energy use and cut your overhead costs too. Analyse the journeys you make. See if you can insulate your premises better, whether you could operate at a slightly lower temperature – sweaters aren’t a bad idea!
Consider where you buy your supplies from. Can you buy more locally, use more British products rather than ones made half a world away?
Cut down on waste and make sure you recycle everything you can.
If you start with just these few things you’ll be amazed how much you’ll be contributing to that frighteningly difficult net zero target.