2 minute read
What’s the big deal about Carbon Reduction?
It can’t have escaped your attention that the world around us is changing. On both a personal and business level, we are now responsible for reducing our carbon footprint, and operating (and living) in a ‘sustainable’ fashion. But why is this happening? Why is it important? And where on earth do we start?
The vast majority of the world’s governments and scientists agree that we need to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, and this is a massive challenge in its own right. Without achieving this goal, it is widely accepted that our world will become a very strange and challenging place. In order to achieve this, we all have a part to play.
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Carbon reduction in the workplace
I find it interesting that while most of us have started to include carbon-reducing practices in our home lives such as recycling, considering where our food comes from, turning off lights and turning down the thermostat, these actions and principles are rarely applied to our places of work. Given that most of us spend as much if not more time at work than we do at home, and that we rely on achieving better profits in order to meet our overheads and build profit and future success, surely it would make sense to focus our efforts here too? Yet how many of us have invested in insulating our offices, ensuring all our IT equipment is switched off at night, and so on? Beyond immediate cost savings and profitability, there are many other reasons why we as businesses should be focusing our efforts on reducing our carbon footprint. Of the 5.5million SMEs in the UK, around 20% have now formally committed to reducing their carbon footprint – and I’m proud to say that Saline is included in that number. In practical terms, one of the things this means for us – and approximately one million other SME’s – is that, unless a supplier can demonstrate that they have made the same commitment, we will not do business with them.
Winning work and attracting talent
As of spring 2023, all public sector projects that have a spend of more than £5million will be required to have a carbon reduction strategy. Many of you will fit somewhere within the supply chain of such projects – whether that be in IT support, PPE supply, business consultancy or even accommodation providers. So even now, in these early days of sustainability coming to the fore, you will have a workwinning edge if you are proactively working towards reducing your carbon footprint.
Today’s young talent are a different breed to many of us who grew up in the late 20th century. They want to work for companies that go the extra mile and show a commitment to more than just making money for shareholders. Given the recruitment challenges we all face these days, our stars of the future can afford to be picky about who they choose to work for. By demonstrating that we care, and are prepared to contribute to wider society by taking clear and positive action, we are more likely to attract talented and passionate people to work for us.
Will there be extra cost involved? Yes.
Will we need to make effort? Yes.
Can we win more work by doing it? Yes. Can we attract more talented team members? Yes.
Will we save money in the process? Yes. Ultimately, given the seismic shift that is just beginning to happen across our societal, political and corporate landscapes, the question isn’t a case of “should we?” but rather “how do we make a start?” www.saline.org.uk
From core business development and sales, to practical business guidance and developing your ESG strategy, Saline offers a range of services to help you grow your business sustainably.
