Presently, climate change is an escalating issue. It poses a fundamental threat to not only the population and species but also organizations and enterprises, and taking responsibility for these effects is a front-of-mind issue.
While many organizations are taking swift action not to be affected by climate change, the challenges only seem to be increasing. Some examples of these challenges include industrial emissions spreading like wildfire, CO2 becoming uncontainable, and the increase in energy usage.
With the obstacles rising quickly, it has become essential for organizations to actively create an action plan to help fight climate change and promote sustainability. This action plan must include strategies and efforts for reducing direct and indirect emissions that are the product of business operations. If they don’t take climate risks into account and take the necessary steps to reduce them, it will be challenging for organizations to adapt and succeed.
To that end, here are five strategies organizations can implement right now to fight climate change and overcome the challenges:
1. Start by raising awareness
Did you know that an average American produces 19 metric tons of greenhouse gases yearly, enough to fill the interior of three Statues of Liberty? If organizations had a headcount of 25, their emissions from employees would fill the Statue of Liberty every week. These numbers indicate terrible consequences.
To curb these effects and face climate change head-on, organizations must inform their workers, shareholders, and clients about the various environmental consequences of their actions.
The best way to raise awareness among an organization’s people is to begin a training program. For example, encouraging employees to enroll in a climate change online course or a similar program can instill people’s knowledge and skills to foster sustainability and adopt habits with little to no environmental impact.
Other than that, hosting internal competitions, hackathons, or campaigns to increase and improve public awareness of sustainability issues is a terrific idea.
Overall, these modest acts will eventually lay the foundation for best practices, which people can later replicate at home and spread through their loved ones, creating a “snowball effect.”
2. Employ sustainable business practices
According to Forbes, 90% of leaders think sustainability is a crucial business element. However, only 60% of companies have an effective, sustainable strategy.
An organizational activity is typically viewed as sustainable if it is environmentally responsible and financially feasible. Most leaders struggle to strike a balance between the two. Hence, they pay no mind to adopting a different mode of conduct.
Businesses that incorporate ethical business practices and environmental awareness as critical components of their growth strategy frequently produce sustainable economic values. Creating systems that protect the long-term viability of people, plants, and profit—the so-called triple bottom line—aims to form sustainable business practices.
To be sustainable, organizations must understand the impact of their actions and take responsibility for creating sustainable initiatives that will leave a positive mark on communities in the present and future. Some examples of these initiatives include:
- Developing in-house programs for recyclable products like electronics, paper, light bulbs, etc
- Considering purchasing energy-saving electronics and adjusting office equipment to environmentally-friendly modes
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Creating sustainable office policies, such as turning off the equipment at the end of the day and using energy-saving features
3. Adapt to the change
The third strategy on our list is “adaptation.” An organization that is climate-resilient is less susceptible to the effects of climate change and can swiftly bounce back and expand after severe weather disasters.
Adapting to climate change includes understanding how it will affect an organization’s supply chains, operations, and workforce. Then, make changes to make the organization more resilient and ready to face extreme events like storms and floods. These actions may change depending on your industry, location, and vulnerabilities.
Furthermore, according to a survey by the Network for Business Sustainability, many companies create short-term risk management strategies rather than long-term ones. This leads to failure and demeans the purpose behind the adaptation. Thus, all organizations must immediately incorporate long-term environmental planning into their plans.
As a result, organizations will be able to create opportunities to effectively develop and implement the future policies required to address climate challenges.
4. Use renewable energies
Another workable strategy for organizations to address climate change challenges is to seek approaches to increase sustainability. This process involves using renewable sources of energy.
Going green can benefit your business’s bottom line and its ability to draw in new customers and clients. Unfortunately, there are instances when switching to renewable energy isn’t worth the effort. However, renewable energy can help your company in various ways, such as reducing emissions, providing more marketing opportunities, lowering energy costs, etc. In terms of options for renewable energy resources for businesses, wind, solar, hydropower, and geothermal are among the most famous.
While the transition may seem painful, you’ll be glad you did once you realize its advantages for your organization. Customers are more inclined to buy from you when you demonstrate that you care about their well-being, the environment, and building a sustainable business.
5. Work with sustainable suppliers
When it comes to rising above climate change, organizations must be able to pick their supplies wisely. By engaging with environmentally-friendly suppliers, organizations can maintain sustainability as their top concern throughout the supply chain.
More than ever, suppliers provide functional post-consumer base materials and more sustainable goods and services. So finding and partnering with sustainable suppliers shouldn’t be difficult.
A study by Neilson discovered that 55% of worldwide consumers are willing to pay more for goods and services from businesses dedicated to having a positive social and environmental effect. In addition, by engaging with conscientious suppliers, companies can help protect the environment and save money by buying items that consume less energy, last longer, and create less waste.
Conclusion
Climate change has evolved over the last few decades from a merely controversial issue to our world’s current predicament. With each passing day and new research, we continue to discover more about the detrimental effects of human activity, industrial operations, and other activities on our climate.
Therefore, organizations should consider a five-part strategy to address climate change challenges. First, they must spread awareness regarding the situation. Secondly, they must incorporate green practices and adjust to the impacts. And finally, they must work with renewable resources and utilize sustainable services. Furthermore, by taking their roles seriously, organizations can foster more practices to demonstrate their commitment to making green and sustainable choices.
