How city businesses can make themselves more sustainable
Industry and commerce count for 37 per cent of the UK’s total CO2 emissions, and so it makes sense to involve the business community in our attempts to achieve net zero. FIONA CALLINGHAM reports
There is a lot of discussion around what we can all do individually to help tackle climate change.
Whether it’s using the car less, recycling more or adding greenery to your home or garden.
But a lot of us spend the majority of our week at work — so why should businesses be exempt from trying to make a difference?
In fact UK industry and businesses account for 37 per cent of our total CO2 emissions.
It is argued that we can’t get to net zero unless reducing carbon emissions becomes a central criteria within the business community.
In Portsmouth alone 267,400 tonnes of CO2e (carbon dioxide equivalent) was emitted by industry and commerce in 2019 - which was 32 per cent of the city’s emissions overall.
This is something the Portsmouth Climate Action Board is looking to face head on, with support on offer for local businesses of all sizes to help them make a difference.
Nick Sebley, from the board, said: ‘Industry and business play an important role in addressing climate change. In 2018 a third of the city's carbon emissions came directly from business and industry. However, businesses also have a huge influence over the entire city's emissions.
‘This can be from their fleet of vehicles, staff commuting or how they encourage their customers to travel. For instance, the majority of new cars purchased in 2019 were registered for business use, and thousands of cars on our roads every morning are linked to business and commuting.
‘An indifferent attitude to climate change is becoming increasingly costly, both socially and economically. The majority of customers are now actively considering the climate credentials of businesses. In Portsmouth 89 per cent of residents think local businesses have a responsibility to address issues around climate change.’
To take the first step into making a difference the board has created a carbon audit tailored for small businesses.
The board will then showcase and promote the climate action taken by local businesses and produce an accredited sticker to place in shop windows and feature on websites.
It is also offering free carbon literacy courses to help businesses understand what they can do.
For more information on either you can contact them at info@ portsmouthclimateaction. org.uk.
A group that is working to grow local businesses, while helping them reduce their carbon emission with the Climate Action Board, is Shaping Portsmouth.
The company currently has 803 businesses, 650 local ambassadors and 175 active volunteers working with them.
Stef Nienaltowski, the chief executive officer, said: ‘Shaping Portsmouth is proud to be part of the Portsmouth Climate Action Board. The objective s to get the city businesses connected with the key carbon reduction targets we have set ourselves.
‘The team behind the Climate Action Board have developed a simple pledge that a businesses would sign that demonstrates their commitment to the campaign. There is now a tool kit available from the board website that will help each business focus on their areas of carbon production and show them what they are producing.
‘Whilst the majority of our carbon is generated from housing, the reductions we can achieve from our businesses sector can be a significant contribution in the city's pursuit of carbon neutrality by 2030.
‘It is a responsible approach for us all to reduce as much as we can the amount of these types of elements we are producing and the support each business will get from their employees will further connect the whole company.’
One company that has put sustainability at the heart of what it does, before the conversation around climate change had even started, is Portsmouthbased
Anglepoise.
The family-run lamp and lighting fixture company was established in the 1930s and has always made products to ‘last a lifetime.’
Joint managing director, Simon Terry, said: ‘Our ethos has always been to design and make products that last a lifetime
No product should be designed or destined for landfill Simon Terry