Article Six – Taking Climate Action In Your Business
Setting The Scene:
Between 1990, when NZ signed a global agreement to reduce our emissions and 2021 our net emissions increased by 25%, driven mainly by a 123% increase in emissions from dairy cattle and an 85% increase in transport emissions. In 2021, our net emissions were equivalent to 55.7M tonnes of Carbon Dioxide with the following sectors responsible for their share of this total:
Agriculture 49%
Energy (use of fossil fuels including transport) 41%
Industrial Processes and Product Use 6%
Waste 4%
A calculation of international comparisons for per capita emissions places NZ 6th in the OECD, a results table in which it would be better if we were much lower ranked.
Why Should You Take Climate Action In Your Business?
NZ is committed to a 30% reduction in our emissions by 2030 and to being carbon neutral by 2050. Every individual, organisation and sector has a role to play in achieving these targets.
99% of NZ businesses are SMEs employing less than 50 people and they contribute 35% of our GDP, so it is essential that they are supported to take climate action as a lot of small actions will produce a large cumulative outcome.
Key Motivations:
o Customers are demanding it
o Provides a competitive edge
o Stay ahead of regulation
o Pressure from staff, investors and stakeholders
o Cost efficiencies
o It’s the right thing to do.
Challenges:
o Lack of knowledge/understanding of what to do is the main barrier
o Time and resource constraints
o Cost (or perception of)
o Inadequate drivers and motivation
o Complacency
o Risk of bad publicity
o Many businesses are doing it tough
What Can You Do In Your Business?
- The easiest place to start is to complete a free online assessment of your business using the Climate Action Toolbox – (follow the link provided at the end of this article), after all, you can’t manage what you don’t measure. Once you have entered the information about your business, you will be provided with some action plan suggestions, which focus more on mitigation than adaptation, to help you to get started on your sustainability journey.
- Once you have completed your assessment and have received your action plan suggestions, create a simple action plan using your own template or the one provided at the end of this article.
- Prioritise the actions that you are going to take in the next twelve months to improve your business’ sustainability. What are your easy wins?
- Take action – implement your action plan priorities.
What Else Can You Do In Your Business?
The Climate Action Toolbox also gives you access to a carbon emissions calculator which is suitable for smaller businesses and again is free to use. Similar to the Climate Action Toolbox, once you have completed your assessment, you will be given suggestions and an action plan to reduce your carbon footprint.
Useful Links:
- Climate Action Toolbox https://www.tools.business.govt.nz/climate/
- Carbon Emissions Calculator https://www.tools.business.govt.nz/climate/footprint/intro
- Climate Action Plan (SBN) – here
Adapted from Sustainable Business Network – Taking Climate Action In your Business
