Industrialisation, which has been the hallmark of human civilisation, has resulted in the production of greenhouse gases. This unabated production of greenhouse gases has caused an immense shift in the climate in most places on earth. Research suggests that if the level of global warming is not held within 1.5 degrees Celsius of the pre-industrial level, catastrophic calamities will be triggered.
To address this global challenge, most countries and more than 5,000 companies have pledged to take steps to reduce their carbon emissions. Several international initiatives to reduce the carbon footprint have been undertaken by several countries that are part of IPCC. These countries and companies aspire to become “net-zero” or “net-zero carbon” to achieve their goals.
This brings us to the point of what “net-zero carbon” or “net-zero” means for companies. According to SBTi, to become net-zero, companies are required to reduce their emissions by at least 90%, which implies neutralisation of no more than 10% of base year emissions
Here are five ways to reach your company’s net-zero goals:
1) Drive awareness for employees
Since reaching the goal of net-zero is a collective goal for any company, it can only be implemented when every employee is aware of the initiative. Businesses must drive company-wide campaigns to make employees aware of the gravity of the issue and to inform them about how each one can contribute.
Digital solutions can be rolled out for employees across the entire organisation so that everyone can track their own carbon footprint and get recommendations on how to reduce and offset it.
2) Drive accountability for employees
Employees don’t only have to be aware of sustainability initiatives within their company but must also be held accountable for their achievement. Individuals, when empowered with education and actionable outlets, will look for ways to weave sustainability into the daily routine and business practices.
The outcome of employee activities needs to be measured and shared on both an individual and company-wide basis. Having measurements of success and providing ongoing feedback on sustainability targets will demystify employees’ contributions and gradually move them see sustainability as indivisible from their jobs. Managers can use sustainability goals to evaluate their direct reports and compare employees, departments, divisions, and business units.
3) Measure and track the improvements
It is true that helping the individual employee track their carbon footprint and providing crucial recommendations on how to reduce and offset it is of immense help. It is however also vital to track the enterprise-wide activities and improvements in the net-zero journey.
An aggregate level of visibility is needed to get a view of how much carbon footprint is generated as a group and to understand which improvement initiatives can have the maximum impact on a particular organisation.
An aggregate view of the carbon footprint can also be used as a fun activity for employees and improve their engagement in net-zero initiatives. The aggregate improvement numbers for each team and department can be published periodically, and there could be a fun-filled and healthy competition between teams with winners for each month.
4) Encourage the use of bicycles and public mass transport
Another visible method of reducing a company’s carbon footprint is changing the mode of transport for employees. This mainly applies to industries where employees require to commute to and from work as well as to meetings. Employees can be incentivised to use a bicycle or public transportation to reduce the aggregate carbon footprint of the company and apps like Capture can be used to measure and reduce emissions from transportation choices.
The company can also encourage community-driven initiatives by fostering cycling clubs or car-pool groups and providing free passes for trains or other public transportation systems. Additionally, employees can be encouraged and incentivised to migrate to electric vehicles instead of vehicles that use fossil fuels.
5) Encourage the purchase of carbon offsets from verified projects
Employees and organisations must be informed about avenues through which they can contribute to the cause by purchasing carbon offsets from various projects worldwide. A significant challenge while choosing these projects is objectively verifying their authenticity.
Organisations like ICROA, Gold Standard and Verra have developed strict standards and frameworks to vet environmental and sustainable development efforts. One trusted and verified offsetting partner is SouthPole, where companies can buy carbon credits from the world's largest portfolio of carbon projects.
In conclusion, it can be said that adopting a net-zero strategy and roadmap for companies is crucial for them and the human civilisation at large. A critical way in which companies can achieve their zero-carbon goals is by empowering their employees. The rollout of company-wide initiatives supported by digital tools is most effective in educating and empowering employees. The Capture app, with its rich features, is a great option for such an objective since it empowers the individual employee and enables the organisation as a whole to track the collective progress towards a net-zero future.