to get the creative juices flowing – we focused in on the incredible work that IKEA have been doing towards a more sustainable future.
In this article we’ll summarise their actions and provide an easy-to-follow guide on how you can do the same.
Keep reading to find out how!
Sustainability Leaders – IKEA
IKEA have targeted their emissions and usage reductions in every aspect of their business.
They recognized that their footprint comes not just from their direct business emissions, but also from supply chain, contractors, and even in their customers’ homes.
They targeted reductions in materials, food ingredients, production, transport, customer travel and home deliveries, product use at home, and product end of life. By recognizing that small changes multiplied across scale would make huge differences to their footprint, they delivered on some incredible goals.
But how would your business go about doing the same?
1 – Measure And Analyse Greenhouse Gas Emissions
First for any company serious about reducing their impact on the planet is to measure their greenhouse gas emissions. There are many private companies that are carbon footprint certified that are set up to help measure business CO2 emissions.
Once your emissions are known they can be analysed to reveal which business activities release the most pollutants. Once this is known, you can begin to consider where to target your resources towards solutions that achieve the best results.
2 – Reducing Energy Consumption
Small steps like turning off the office lights in the evening, lowering heating and air conditioning, or taking devices out of plugs when not in use are all great places to start reducing your energy consumption. Where possible installing timers or sensors can be solid investment. Paying attention to other parts of your daily routine will make you think about energy in a different light, helping to reduce your impact on the climate.
3 – Renewable Energy
Finding a renewable energy supplier like Niccolo Gas and Power is a strong solution for most countries. You can choose how much renewable or green energy you would like to use for your company, avoiding fossil fuels and a moral headache.
4 – Reduce Waste
Another way in which we could all do better is by reducing the amount of waste generated at all steps of the production process. Whether this is at scale like industrial waste from production, or just the paper waste of a Small to Medium Enterprise, it’s all worth cutting back on.
Removing disposable cups, straws, stirrers, coffee capsules, reducing number of prints, reusing paper where possible, sorting waste for recycling – the possibilities are endless. Take a look at where you systematically produce the most waste and think about if there is anything you could do to change it.
5 – Employee Transportation
Transportation as a sector is one of the largest contributors of greenhouse gas emissions. Encouraging your employees to take public transport, to carpool, or by providing beneficial schemes (like the Cycle to Work Scheme seen at most companies), companies can significantly reduce their indirect footprint.
6 – Green Infrastructure And Equipment
Where possible, you may be able to choose more environmentally friendly infrastructure and equipment. Companies may be able to transition to a fleet of hybrid vehicles instead of traditional gas guzzlers. Perhaps when the time comes to upgrade or replace equipment, care could be taken to consider energy efficient options – replacing bulbs in particular is a good place to start.
7 – Choose Sustainable Suppliers
You will inevitably work with other companies to achieve your production goals. Choosing environmentally-friendly suppliers and 3rd parties to partner with means you are consistent throughout the entirety of your business operations. If you care about your footprint, you should make every effort to choose suppliers with the same beliefs.
8 – Raise Awareness Among Employees, Clients, And Stakeholders
It is important to use your position of power as an employer to raise awareness throughout employees, consumers, media, and other stakeholders in the business. This doesn’t have to be through dull, dry lectures – in-house contests, campaigns, and competitions are great ways to improve awareness of sustainability. Sometimes partnering with a third-party external organisation to do something unique and powerful is a strong move.
Small gestures gradually set the scene for best practices that individuals then replicate at home and transmit to their friends.
9 – Promote Environmentally Friendly Ways Of Working
In a world blighted by Coronavirus, one of the lasting effects will be remote working.
This also has ecological advantages besides the obvious reduction in transmission risk. Consider the retention of video conferences to avoid employees travelling for short, in-person meetings.
Paperwork also has a strong environmental impact – is there an area of your business that could be digitalised?
10 – Pressure For Change
Ultimately, the role of large economic bodies in the climate battle should be to use their positions of leverage to pressure for policy change. Whether this is at a national or regional level, businesses can act as a vector for change through their huge influence. Active companies should have active voices.
Niccolo Gas and Power – A better choice
Unlike some suppliers, we actually want to talk to you.
If you are interested in our wide range of tailor-made product offerings then simply get in contact with us today. When you reach out to us, we will respond as soon as possible with our best prices – saving you money on your energy supply.
You can visit our website at https://niccolo.co.uk/contact-us
Or give us a call on 0131 610 8868
You can even email us directly at info@niccolo.co.uk
We look forward to hearing from you!