What businesses can do about the climate crisis

The urgency of the climate crisis and the need to take immediate action is clear but what isn’t obvious to all business owners is exactly what actions to be taking to make a lasting impact on the planet.

We asked Andy Hawkins from Business on Purpose, Michael Kennard from Compost Club, and John Pritchard from PALA Eyewear, to share some practical suggestions.

Start with understanding your current situation

“Whether it’s stepping on the scales to see how heavy you are or timing your latest run, measuring yourself is a great first step to making a difference.“

Andy Hawkins, Business on Purpose

If you don’t know what impact your business is currently having on the planet, start there. This will likely highlight where to focus your reduction and replacement goals.

Andy Hawkins is the Founder of Business on Purpose:

“Whether it’s stepping on the scales to see how heavy you are or timing your latest run, measuring yourself is a great first step to making a difference. If any company is interested in using their business as a force for good, then it’s absolutely no different.

But how can a business measure and improve their social and environmental impact?

There are many areas of the business you can measure such as employee engagement , impact on your local community, your supply chain and your environmental footprint. 

The best advice is to get started with something manageable and make regular meaningful progress.  And if you don’t know what area to start on, engage with your employees, suppliers and customers to hear what they think is important. 

B Corp is increasingly becoming a globally recognised certification which uses their B Impact Assessment framework to help a business of any shape or size to understand their current position, have authentic evidence and create a viable impact improvement plan.

However, undertaking this task can sometimes feel a little overwhelming. In response , Business on Purpose supports any small business as part of a Couch to 5k B Corp cohort. Committing to 2 hours per week over 3 months will enable you to work through the process, supported by an experienced B Leader as a guide and support, enabling you to make meaningful progress in a manageable way.

It’s hugely educational and inspirational and I would encourage any business to take that first step on their journey to measure and improve. It’s an amazing adventure!”

Every business has it’s unique operations model so start by understanding your specific impact as a business to discover the most impactful actions you can take.

Reduce waste and reuse where possible

“Can it be repaired, recycled, repurposed or even composted? Landfill or incineration must become something we look back on and not something we continue.”

Michael Kennard, Compost Club

One of the biggest shifts we will have to make as a society is moving away from a “single-use” mindset and one where reducing and reusing isn’t seen as a penny-pinching activity. 

Michael Kennard is the Founder of Compost Club

“Our whole ethos is about establishing a cyclical system, rather than the current linear approach when it comes to waste. In natural systems energy is never wasted, only transferred or transformed.

Where we implement this is in repurposing buckets that are waste from the construction industry. We clean them up and use them for our food waste collections. The food waste itself in our system is no longer waste but a valuable input to make a living compost which can regenerate soil.

It’s important to consider the whole lifecycle of a product or any item purchased whether that’s in the workplace or at home. We can ensure that the things we purchase are sourced as sustainably as possible and this can mean that it has been used somewhere or by someone before. It is also important to factor in what happens with it when you are done. Can it be repaired, recycled, repurposed or even composted? Landfill or incineration must become something we look back on and not something we continue.

A simple place to start is by separating your waste to increase awareness of what can be recycled and composted and then seeing how much is actually wasted. In many cases it is an awareness which leads to willingness and therefore positive action.”

There may be items your business uses that you didn’t even know you could reuse or get more sustainable alternatives for, so do the research and see what you discover. 

Choose greener alternatives

“I am a big advocate of making small positive changes and to make them habit forming”

John Pritchard, PALA Eyewear

From energy providers and catering options, to product packaging and web host providers. Your impact on the environment is in the hands of the suppliers you choose. 

John Pritchard is the Founder of PALA Eyewear, an ethical and sustainable sunglasses brand who are proudly B Corp:

“I am a big advocate of making small positive changes and to make them habit forming - so it’s ‘the small wins’ for me in that sense. Using zero-waste stores like The Source here in Brighton is a great way to cut down on packaging and also allows you to buy exactly the amount you need. Last week I subscribed to a company called Smol who deliver your laundry tablets to your door, all plastic free packaging - a huge improvement on what is currently available on the shelves. Small wins.

WIthin business, green solutions are there if you want to find them. All our packaging is plastic free and materially our frames are made from bio-acetate, 68% plant-based and biodegradable. Our website is hosted on a platform called Wunderism that makes us carbon neutral. Carbon is a huge issue for any manufacturing company and they should be looking to mitigate as much as possible at source, but where they are unable, then offsetting projects are the next best. We do this through two initiatives - providing cook stoves in Rwanda and preserving rainforest .

So, whether it’s how you buy, or what you buy next, do some investigation into the brands you buy from. There are now some very good alternatives out there. A final word of caution - be mindful of greenwashing, the International Consumer Protection Enforcement Network recently analysed 500 websites and found that up to 40% of environmentally friendly claims might be misleading customers. So make sure you carry out your own investigations so that you are entirely satisfied with who you want to partner for your greener future.”

So if you haven’t done it already, reassess your supply chain and make the switch to sustainable options to have a more positive impact on people and the planet.

The climate crisis is critical but we aren’t powerless in making the changes that would enable us to alter the course of our future and now you have the starting point to take the necessary action, so what are you waiting for?

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