How to Reach Net Zero as a Business: 8 Steps
Monday, 20th June 2022
With the world already feeling the effects of climate change, we need to drastically cut our carbon footprint—and quickly.
In response to this urgent need, we’re seeing an increasing number of businesses commit to net zero emissions, in building design, in energy sourcing, and in the management of resources. It’s a challenge, but, with increasing legislative measures on the horizon, businesses have no choice but to take action.
Businesses that act now will start to reap the many rewards net zero can bring. In this guide, we’ll talk you through the most crucial elements, step by step.
Why should businesses care about net zero?
As a facilities manager (FM) or a workplace manager, you’ll have many demands on your time. After all, workplaces don’t just run themselves. But have you thought about your business's carbon footprint?
Buildings are a major contributor to greenhouse gases, with the operation of buildings accounting for 30% of carbon emissions in the UK alone. Governments and stakeholders are demanding that businesses take action—and this call to arms is only going to increase in the future.
This is why many businesses, in countries all over the globe, are setting their sights on a ‘net zero’ future. That is, one with no overall carbon emissions.
Here’s why your business should care about net zero:
To avoid further global warming and catastrophic climate change. The world needs to take action now. According to the Paris Agreement, global warming needs to be maintained below 2℃ above pre-industrial levels. This is why the IPCC is advising a drastic reduction in greenhouse emissions by 2030 and a totally net zero global economy by 2050.
Soon it won’t be an option. Mandatory ESG reporting (in which your business's green credentials are a major factor) is on the horizon for the UK. Other governments, including Canada, Japan and the EU, have introduced similar measures. The consideration of ESG factors is becoming the norm for investors too, with 85% of investors considering ESG credentials in 2020.
Your workforce is invested in your environmental credentials. During research for the Infogrid Hybrid Workplace: Return to Work Report, we found that 40 percent of UK employees say they’d be more likely to apply to work at a company that proposed or adopted a net-zero strategy. To stay ahead of the competition, and continue to attract the very best talent, your business needs to be at the top of its game when it comes to the environment.
Customers are increasingly choosing brands with greener credentials. Research has found that customers care about the sustainability of the brands they use—so much so, that they’re willing to spend more. Being proactive about your business’s greenhouse gas emissions is an important part of staying competitive and relevant in today’s market.
The case for net zero is clear—both from an environmental and business perspective. But how do you get started? Here, we’ll outline the main steps.
How to reach net zero as a business: 8 steps
To help you get started with your climate targets, here’s a list of the eight steps to consider when aiming for net zero:
Assess your company’s current carbon footprint. The first step in taking action is to know what you're dealing with. Maybe you’re in a new building that already takes advantage of passive design to optimise natural sources of heat, light, and ventilation. On the other hand, your business may be in an older property, which is far less efficient. Either way, to reach that net zero target, you need to know how far you’ve got to go in terms of your building’s carbon emissions. Measurement is key.
Make the switch to renewable energy. To reach the IPCC’s targets, we need to abandon our reliance on fossil fuels, which means businesses need to turn to renewables such as wind and solar for their energy. Businesses should also consider on-site generation of power—for example, using solar panels to lower their carbon footprint even further.
Increase energy efficiency. Offsetting carbon emissions is a necessary step in reaching net zero, but our main focus should be lowering our emissions in the first place. This means that our systems and appliances should run as efficiently as possible to avoid wasting energy.
Manage your resources optimally. Reaching net zero is about making the most of what you have, i.e. space, heat, light and ventilation. Your workforce’s behaviour and attitudes can be managed too—for example, by the encouragement of flexible work from home policies to manage building occupancy and waste avoidance.
Keep ahead of maintenance. When equipment breaks down it’s carbon costly. Just think about all those engineers and maintenance staff that have to travel to your site, never mind the embodied carbon from the parts and equipment that need replacing. Make your existing systems go further with proactive maintenance strategies.
Reinvest for a net zero future. Although net zero strategies, such as increasing efficiency, save substantial money in the long run, opting for a net zero goal does involve upfront costs. Be prepared for these by allocating any initial savings your business makes (for example, by using less electricity) into a fund towards future net zero initiatives, perhaps in the installation of things like solar panels or heat pumps.
Get recognised. Your efforts deserve recognition, so look to the numerous certification and net zero initiatives out there. In this day and age, it’s crucial to demonstrate to your customers, your investors, and your workforce that you’re above so-called ‘greenwashing’ and are set to meet your ambitious ESG goals.
Only work with others that are doing the same. Some say that you can judge a person by the company they keep. We could say the same about business too. Show your commitment to climate action and choose investors, pension schemes, and suppliers that echo the same green goals as you do.
How Infogrid can help
All of this sounding like a tall order? We can help.
Here at Infogrid, we’ve designed a suite of smart, automated systems so that you can easily track, communicate, and take action to lower your carbon footprint. Our clever sensors can measure other key resources, like water flow, so you can work on saving those precious commodities too.
Here’s how our smart system can help your business reach net zero:
Best in class IoT automated sensors. Our discreet range of sensors can detect everything from temperature to ventilation rates and even occupancy. Once installed, they are effortless to maintain and provide a wealth of building data to our proprietary AI platform, 24/7.
Drive efficiencies. We don’t just collect data. We use the power of AI to provide you with holistic insights that allow you to take targeted action. For example, by combining air quality data with details on occupancy, you can direct HVAC where it’s really needed. The efficiency savings are substantial: we saved one supermarket $1.6 million per year on their HVAC energy costs alone.
Lower maintenance costs. Our sensors monitor key indicators of building health 24/7, meaning that you can keep ahead of maintenance issues. Using our smart pipe monitoring system, one of our clients reduced the time their maintenance teams spent on water quality compliance by 81%.
Communicate your credentials. A big part of reaching net zero (and gaining recognition for it) is being organised and transparent when it comes to your building data. Our smart system of sensors is fully integrated with our online dashboard, so you can effortlessly track your performance over any timescale and across your whole portfolio.
Want to find out more? Try our demo, here.
