Actions Guide
Implementation
Step 12. Implementation
Implement all the measures as specified in your company’s climate action plan to verifiably achieve our stated greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets and adaptation plans.
Most companies are grappling with how to embed a viable transition strategy into their business models. Methodical and sustainable implementation of your climate action plan plays a critical role in ensuring good long-term stewardship of your organisation.
Translating your climate action plan into operational practices and assigning responsibility for the execution of their strategies at all levels is key to its success. Good implementation also means supporting your staff to undertake changes in their lifestyles both at work and at home and encourage work-based employee-led groups to identify and implement ideas for improvement.
Suggested Implementation Actions
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Lower digital emissions created through our digital assets and our online data generating activities such as application hosting, data storage, emails, websites, social media, videos, webinars and video conferencing.
By calculating and setting a target to reduce your digital emissions, you can decrease the overall carbon footprint of your organisation. While digital emissions can be very small for each individual action, the cumulative impact can be significant. Follow these steps to reduce your digital emissions:
Collaborate with your team to create a list of all of your online activities. This list will be helpful for estimating your digital emissions and for identifying actions to reduce them.
Use an online calculator or established emissions factors to calculate a rough estimate of your digital emissions. We recommend the Global Greenhouse Protocol.
Using this estimate and your list of online activities, identify actions you can take to reduce your overall emissions. Some examples include:
Write concisely and keep your emails as short as possible.
Create an internal email policy to reduce unnecessary responses and to only include necessary recipients in email chains.
Unsubscribe from mailing lists that are no longer relevant to you.
Ensure your mailing lists are up to date.
Change to a green web hosting service.
Work with your web developer to optimise your website so as to reduce unnecessary features and content which contribute towards higher emissions.
Create a policy outlining procedures and actions employees should take regarding digital emissions. This is especially important now given the rise of remote and online working.
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Minimise the amount of waste produced by implementing repair, re-use, recycle, and compost policies along with the elimination of single use and disposable products where practical.
Reducing and properly disposing of waste is an important step in decreasing your overall impact as an organisation. The following list includes possible actions to implement within your teams:
Measure and monitor waste output.
Reduce the use of single use items.
Segregate recycling, landfill, and organic waste to ensure proper disposal.
If you do not have the correct bins to accomplish this at your office, engage with the building manager to implement the necessary programs.
Create and distribute guidance for waste management in remote working.
Communicate waste management plan with all employees, both remote and in office.
Monitor and report progress on waste reduction and management.
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Introduce energy efficiency measures by introducing conservation policies and upgrading our premises with better thermal insulation and installing more energy efficient equipment.
Switch to an energy supplier with the greatest proportion of renewable energy in its mix.
Eliminate the use of fossil fuels.
Reduce our heating and cooling demand.
Monitor utility metering on an ongoing basis to identify areas for savings.
Install/upgrade building insulation to reduce heating and cooling demand.
Install more energy efficient equipment throughout your operations.
Leverage grants and other financing options to help with implementation.
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Partner Network Directory candidates
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Partner Network Directory candidates
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Select Majority Renewable Energy Providers: As part of your businesses Scope 2 emissions reduction plan, it is critical to remove most or all of your fossil fuel generated electricity. Find a supplier that provides the highest proportion of renewables in accordance with the Commission For Regulation Of Utilities (Ireland) or OFGEM Electricity (Fuel Mix Disclosure) Regulations (UK). Although many companies advertise 100% renewable electricity, this can be largely made up of energy certificates under the European Guarantees of Origin (GO) programme. It is important to check if this scheme is compatible with your business carbon audit criteria before selecting a supplier.
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To have a 100% renewable supply of electricity or heating, the balance of energy that is not renewable can be generated at or near your business premises by installing one or more solutions such as solar or wind or renewable bio fuels. Alternatively investigate the option of creating or joining a group electricity or heat generating scheme in your building or locality.
Conduct feasibility studies for on-site solar or wind installations.
Investigate group heat and power projects locally or alternatively collaborate with other businesses in your building or site to invest in a community power or heating scheme and compare the cost benefits of each option.
Investigate introducing on-site energy storage for your generating capacity which connects to your e-vehicle charging infrastructure.
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Minimise business travel and commuting emissions by promoting the use of low emission options for all staff.
By utilising online conferencing technology, you can minimise our overall travel requirements. When travel is absolutely necessary, opt for lower carbon emission options, such as trains, rather than high carbon emission options, such as flights.
To minimise the impact of employee commuting, encourage the use of more sustainable options such as public transport, cycling, and carpooling.
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Lower the commercial transport emissions related to the delivery of your inputs and your finished products.
Measure your inbound and outbound logistics. Track the distances and types of transportation that are used.
Create a plan for working with your third-party operators to overall emissions where possible.
Engage with programs to offset the emissions from your transport. Offset our logistics emissions annually by planting native trees through a local initiative.
Minimise business travel where possible by utilising video conferencing technology. If travel is necessary, use lower carbon options where possible.
Minimise the use of company vehicles and will replace them with more fuel efficient or electric versions where possible.
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Identify areas where we can incorporate the circular economy model into our business strategies and practices. This process can include auditing our policies on the purchasing, use, and disposal of our digital hardware and other equipment.
Circular economy models minimise waste and pollution by keeping products and materials in use for as long as possible to get the maximum value from them. This involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling existing materials and products as long as possible.
There are many ways to engage with this model: buying used or refurbished tech equipment, donating any equipment rather than throwing it away, trading with other organisations.
A general framework for starting to engage with the circular economy model can include:
Collaborate with team members to identify where waste comes from in your business. For example, the process of purchasing new computers has the potential to cause the old ones to be thrown away.
Look for ways to reduce or repurpose waste, whether internally or in partnership with another organisation. This can be done through donation, refurbishment, reselling, or recycling.
Communicate within the organisation about new practices regarding waste and the circular economy model. This will help identify new ideas surrounding how the circular economy model can be implemented in your organisation.
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Reduce scope 3 emissions, i.e. reduce the greenhouse gas emissions related to our indirect upstream and downstream value chain activities including purchased or acquired goods and services and the goods and services your business sells.
A significant percentage of your business emissions and its impacts can be attributed to your value chain (Scope 3). Because of this consider measuring, monitoring, and mitigating its impact through outreach programs, knowledge sharing, and programs to aid external sustainable projects and purchasing.
Engage in a whole systems mapping process to identify the business processes and products that contribute to your scope 3 emissions.
Calculate a baseline for your scope 3 emissions using the information found in your whole system mapping exercise.
Once you have a baseline, create an action plan for making reductions in your scope 3 emissions.
Purchasers measure and manage this impact by requesting suppliers disclose data on their GHG emissions and environmental governance to create a more transparent supply chain. Requesting environmental data is now becoming an industry-wide expectation.
To reduce upstream emissions, companies must go beyond simple data collection and work closely with their tier 1 and tier 2 suppliers to communicate clear target criteria and expectations for emissions reduction.
Consider collaborating with other buyers. Companies are starting to join forces to push suppliers to comply with a collective set of common targets.
Track and quantify the downstream emissions generated by the use and disposal of the end product or service that your company sells.
Introduce a “design for change” policy by identifying the main emissions sources in your downstream value chain from the product design itself to the packaging, transport, support, service and maintenance, right through to its disposal.
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Manage all company investments to reduce your Scope 3 category 15 carbon emissions from investments.
Request Scope 3 third party audit and/or certifications for existing and candidate pensions and investments.
Assess existing or planned company investments to meet best practice in sustainability, ESG investing, and low carbon funds.
Give significant weight to sustainability in choosing providers, funds, and policies of all investments.
