Net Zero often gets talked about as a long-term strategy for 30 years down the line — something to plan for next quarter, once the budget clears or the right person is hired.
But you don’t need a full end-to-end strategy to start; a roadmap helps. But some of the most effective actions take a small step. An email, a call or an hour of your time.
Here are five actions you can take this week.
Switch to a renewable energy tariff
This is one of the quickest wins available to any SME. In the UK, most energy suppliers now offer a renewable tariff, and switching rarely costs more than your current plan.
Call your supplier this week, or use a comparison tool, and see what’s available. If your contract renewal is coming up, consider using it as your moment to move.
Review how your team travels
Commuting and business travel add up quickly, especially in construction, logistics and manufacturing.
Look at your current travel policy this week. Could more meetings happen by video call? Could staff car share or use public transport for site visits? Small changes here can cut a meaningful share of your travel emissions.
Train your team to be carbon literate (or even just one!)
You don’t need a whole team of sustainability experts, but you do need one person who understands the basics and can champion progress internally.
Carbon Literacy Training takes one full day or two half-days online and gives your team the language and confidence to make better, more sustainable decisions. Working your way up the ranks and training your team to be carbon literate is also valuable commercially and will set your team apart in bids and tenders.
Work out where you stand
You can’t reduce what you haven’t measured. Before you set any targets, get a clear picture of your current emissions.
You don’t need a full audit to start.
A short carbon assessment gives you a baseline quickly, covering energy use, travel and waste. Once you know your numbers, you know where to focus.
Ask your suppliers what they’re doing
Your supply chain is often where most (up to 90% in some cases) of your emissions sit, not your own building.
Send a short email to your top five suppliers asking about their carbon reduction plans; opening that conversation is the first step towards lower emissions across your whole supply chain.
Small steps, real progress
None of these actions needs a five-year roadmap or a dedicated sustainability hire (yet). But they do need a decision to start, so our challenge to you is picking one thing from the list and putting it into action this week.
We can help follow up with the rest, one step at a time.
If you’d like support putting more Net Zero actions in place, or creating a roadmap for your organisation – it’s what we do.
Start your path to Net Zero here.