Flex Your Super-Powers

Part 2 of a 3 part series on transitioning to a carbon zero world.

Many of us want to do something, but what are we to do?

“Adults keep saying, “We owe it to young people to give them hope.” But I don’t want your hope. I don’t want you to be hopeful. I want you to panic. I want you to feel the fear I feel every day, and then I want you to act. I want you to act as you would in a crisis. I want you to act as if our house is on fire. Because it is.”   – Greta Thunberg

It’s Business Time.

The no-brainer driver: Taking action makes financial sense.

The Climate A List has been announced for another year and the results speak volumes for the end of business as usual:

“Profit-seeking enterprises are not just sharing their environmental numbers to save the planet. Climate action appears to have a direct bearing on financial success. Companies on the A list outperform their peers on the stock market by 5.5 percent every year, according to index provider STOXX. “While climate change is already upon us, these companies know sustainability presents an exciting race to the top, an opportunity to innovate and rethink business as usual. The good news is that companies are not just doing this because government isn’t, but because it makes good business and financial sense” . – Bruno Sarda, President of CDP North America Al Jazeera

So, now that we know making a difference to the world will make a positive impact on your balance sheet, the question is, how can you really make this work for your business?

When I talk to founders of businesses or start-ups aiming for the stars, I often hear things like, “we’d love to do something but we’re stretched enough as it is and there is so much we could do, where do we even start?”

We believe that creating a business action plan to combat climate crisis is key to future-proofing your business and making money. However as with many things, who has the time?  Right now we are being shown that this is the only time we have and we all need to get on with it.

Here is a (non-definitive) list of great actions for businesses to take as we transition to a carbon-neutral world:

1. Become a Certified B Corporation.
   There’s over 3,000 B-Corps in the world across 71 countries. In Australia and NZ, there are now 227 certified B-Corps, employing more than 4000 people and turning over $1 billion in revenue. Here is a great guide from Airtree-Venture on becoming a B-Corp.
2. Find out about the world’s to do list, often called the UNSDG’s or the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, and identify which ones your business can impact now.
3. Join the B1G1 Business for Good Movement and measure your daily impact on the UNSDG’s. It is a great community to connect with and you can add goals for your team and customers to engage with.  There are also clever visual widgets for your website that makes for fun storytelling. B1G1 can help create a tailored giving plan for your business too.
4. Buying a business subscription to  Zoom, Blue Jeans or Skype can save thousands of dollars every year, and reduce your personal carbon footprint. Read this interesting article from Wired earlier this month about how video conferencing has become cool again. 
5. Make a transition plan today with the top 5 foundation steps for every business to transition to a sustainable future from CDP to help guide your team. Here’s a taste for starters:

• Make the commitment to net zero carbon emissions.
• Assess your business climate risks with a SWOT analysis.
• Set ambitious science-based targets. (Maybe join the business movement for SBT’s)
• Collaborate, engage and communicate.  Achieving net zero globally requires a collaborative effort. There will need to be cooperation across the business community, through your value chain and within your own business so reach out and connect with existing groups in your industry or local area now.
• Consider what to do with emissions that you cannot reduce.

If these things have peaked your interest, and you’re keen to do something to transform your business and make it resilient in this new world, pop us an email or pick up the phone and call us.