Summiting net zero: Each step counts
Ever found yourself at a conference table or on a call overwhelmed by the thought of how on earth you’re going to get your company to net zero by 2050? You’re not alone.
The road to net zero is universally complicated and daunting. It’s full of roadblocks, traffic lights, stop signs, and U-turns. All this and it's never ending; it’s a continuous loop that needs regular maintenance to meet company and regulatory goals and targets.
So how do you deal with all this complexity while still making real and rapid progress toward net zero? The simplest answer: Baby steps. Baby steps and a structured but adaptable framework to work within, a framework that’s scalable and impactful – one that can meet your business needs no matter what stage of growth it’s in.
We scoured the web trying to find a framework that fit the bill – but we came up empty. So, we decided to create the Net Zero Cycle, a systematic, flexible framework for measuring, reducing, and offsetting your company’s emissions in a way that’s aligned with your company’s goals and targets.
“While more than one-third (34%) of the world’s largest companies are now committed to net zero, nearly all (93%) will fail to achieve their goals if they don’t at least double the pace of emissions reduction by 2030.” – Accenture
Step 1: Educate
Before setting your strategy, it’s important to get the basics of GHG emissions and net zero down. That’s because the better you understand the concepts surrounding your net zero journey, the less you’ll feel like you’re navigating in the dark. So, the first step is to equip yourself and your team with a comprehensive understanding of GHG emissions, scopes 1, 2, and 3, and the nuances of achieving net zero. This solid foundational knowledge will act as your compass, preventing unnecessary detours on your journey.
Once you have the educational basics down, you and your organization can start taking actionable steps to reduce your emissions.
“90% of executives believe sustainability is important, but only 60% of organizations have sustainability strategies.” - World Economic Forum.
Step 2: Act
After equipping yourself with the knowledge to embark on your net zero journey, it’s time to dive into the net zero cycle, which is separated into three distinct phases: measure, reduce, and offset.
You can’t manage what you can’t measure, so to begin actively reducing your emissions, you’ll need to figure out where they’re coming from, setting a benchmark or baseline to compare your reductions against.
Measuring emissions isn't merely an analytical step; it's a reality check.
Sourcing your emissions starts with collecting your scope 1, 2, and 3 activities over the last 12 months – from fleet fuel consumption, to electricity bills and distances travelled for work. Once you have this information, your sources must be multiplied by their corresponding emissions factors. These calculations will allow you to build your GHG emissions inventory, enabling you to set realistic reductions goals and creating a baseline to refer to when tracking your organization’s progress. Lastly, your firm should present this data in an easily understandable, shareable GHG report that will help drive your decarbonization initiatives and promote internal alignment and external credibility.
Not into math? Simplify the calculation processes by employing a reliable third party like BrainBox AI. We automatically connect and aggregate your scope 1 and 2 activity data, matching each activity to the appropriate emissions factor, using recognized sources such as the United States EPA,s GHG Emissions Factors Database. After that, we calculate your emissions in accordance with the GHG Protocol.
From this report, your company will be able to map out high-impact areas based on budget, priorities, and research. At this point. You’ll want to compare potential decarbonization projects and choose those that best fit the company’s current goals, values, needs, and restrictions. Once chosen, it’s time to implement your projects in a way that’s scalable and impactful.
Having a concrete, attainable, and viable plan that details how the solution will be deployed and how it aligns with your company’s overall sustainability strategy is key. To do this, you’ll need to determine the project’s scope and which stakeholders will be involved. After that, you and your team can develop a plan and begin to implement it.
Once you start executing your emissions reduction strategy, it’s important to track your progress in a reputable and auditable way. A third-party solution can help you do this through metering systems. BrainBox AI, for example, offers a virtual meter that measures how much energy your building is using in real-time and predicts what your consumption would have been without its HVAC-optimization solution. Ideally, these results would then be displayed on a dashboard for ease of comparison and tracking. All this will really help equip you for the next steps in achieving your net zero status.
Despite your best efforts to cut emissions through impactful decarbonization projects, there’s probably going to be some GHG emissions left over. It's at this point that your company should look into carbon offset projects that resonate with its missions and values. Offsetting is the act of balancing stubborn emissions by buying carbon offset credits, which can be put towards sustainability projects such as planting trees or conserving wetlands.
Recommended by LinkedIn
To act on these, you'll need to tap into carbon markets. This should be done through a reliable platform that provides audit-grade offsets and, ideally, calculations as to how much you need to offset your emissions. This will ensure that the projects you choose are reputable – and it’ll also save you from math-induced migraines while giving you a clear view of your year-on-year progress toward net zero.
NOTE: You should only turn to offsets when you’ve done everything you can to reduce your emissions first.
Step 3: Repeat
As we’ve said, decarbonizing your organization is an ongoing journey that should be able to adapt to ever-changing business landscapes and varying emissions levels. That’s why we’ve designed a flexible 9-step framework that aligns with your company’s evolving needs. Each section of the cycle offers you a chance to re-measure, re-calculate, and re-assess your organization’s emissions and reduction efforts, letting you pinpoint your problem areas and refine your approach, edging you ever closer to your net zero goal.
Of course, reaching net zero is multifaceted; each company faces unique challenges related to budget, personnel, and knowledge gaps. So, for a deeper dive into how your company can reach net zero (and stay there), we’ve put together a curated set of resources including blogs, guides, and tools tailored to lead you through each stage of your decarbonization journey.
Tools and Guidance
While navigating net zero might seem a Herculean task right now, remember that there are loads of tools and support to help guide you to net zero. In fact, we've compiled a boatload of resources, from in-depth blogs to functional tools and actionable guides to assist you at every juncture of your journey – and we’ve done this because we believe that, when it comes to ensuring a sustainable future, every step, every action, and every commitment counts.
Here are just a few of our net zero resources to get you started and keep you going on your road to net zero:
Tools:
Articles
Project Manager / Research Associate
1yThank you for posting