Martin Fairman, Sales & Marketing Director Kyocera Document Solutions UK
Sustainability has been on the agenda of many a business leader in recent years and continues to occupy a prominent place in the news schedule. While the will to make positive change is a good first step, it’s important to work out how to make these green ambitions reality.Below aresome areas steps where companies can explore to ensure lasting change.
Offsetting is important, but going even further is better
Carbon offsetting has become a straightforward, viable and economical way of reducing an organisation’s environmental impact. By embracing offsetting projects such as creating new green spaces by or developing renewable energy facilities around the world, our carbon footprint can be majorly reduced.
However, organisations should be taking a step further and moving towards becoming carbon-negative. This means combining offsetting initiatives with additional efforts to become even more sustainable across every aspect of your business.
The ultimate aim is to reach a position where your organisation removes more carbon from the atmosphere than it emits. It’s an aspirational goal and one that we’re still a long way away from achieving, but there are several ways that make it possible.
Digitisation and automation the name of the game
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A good first initiative for any business aiming to become carbon-negative is to conduct a thorough examination of the company’s business practices and establish where energy usage and waste can be reduced. This includes areas such as energy-efficient lighting, heating in office spaces, electrical appliances and a commitment to products such as sustainable printer inks, devices made from recyclable materials and a switch to paperless processes.
While the above measures are imperative, it’s also important to consider more subtle changes such as increased digitisation and automation of key internal processes. For example, through the automation of tasks such as invoicing, organisations can drastically cut down paper usage while enhancing staff efficiency. When it comes to sustainability, even the smallest change can make a huge difference.
Maximise hybrid working
Hybrid working seems set to become a permanent fixture for many office-based workers. Making the most of this is another step to take when moving towards carbon-negative status.
A 2021reportdiscovered that transportation – of which the daily commute is a major part – produced the equivalent of 122 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in the UK in 2019, representing around 27% of the country’s total greenhouse gas emissions. In simple terms, a reduction in travel, particularly by car, has been Instrumental in driving these numbers down in the last couple of years. Continue giving employees the right to hybrid working, and businesses will reap the sustainability rewards for the foreseeable future.
Make the commitment and embrace the journey
Taking sustainability initiatives to the next level requires significant work and long-term commitment, but by taking on the challenge with enthusiasm and determination, there’s every reason to be optimistic. Think beyond established practices such as offsetting, and carbon-negative can be an achievable ambition.
