It’s been nearly a year since climate advocacy groups CDP and We Mean Business came together and found that businesses alone could account for 60% of the global carbon reductions required by the Paris Climate Accords.
This is wonderful news about how society can effectively reduce our impact on the environment, but embracing the changes necessary is a different story.
Organizations and individuals tend to get stuck in our routines, especially if they’re working well. And getting unstuck and forcing change – even if it’s for the long term benefit – is hard.
At Strategic Sustainability Consulting we know that you may be looking for ways to make your company more sustainable, but making those first few steps to unstick your organization from time tested routines is hardest part – especially if you’re not equipped to effectively create a sustainability strategy.
When they released their analysis, CDP and We Mean Business shared five tips for helping business make the global carbon reduction goal attainable.
· Setting science-based targets
· Doubling energy productivity
· Using a source of renewable energy for all power needs
· Committing to zero deforestation
· Embracing industry-specific, low-carbon technologies
Setting goals like these for the first time can be a challenge, but at SSC we have the expertise to assist you in identifying the areas where changes will have the most impact. We work with each company to set unique, achievable goals.
In 2013 we worked with Chicken of the Sea to establish sustainability goals that could be reached by 2020. These included a reduction in electricity (by 20%), natural gas (by 20%) and water usage by (15%); maintaining or reducing safety incidents; decreasing landfill waste (by 30%); and setting up an audit for 90% of their seafood procurement.
Within the first two years Chicken of the Sea had not only met, but exceed, a few of their goals. This success allowed them to shift their focus on sustainability challenges that had arisen during that time as well as seek ways to make additional improvements in the areas where they had already seen a lot of success — like landfill waste reduction which saw a 50.5% decrease in those first two years, well above the expected 30% goal.
With the help of SSC you can also take the first steps for decreasing your company’s footprint. We are here to help you meet — and hopefully exceed — your sustainability goals.
