Climate change has continuously remained a global issue; with The Paris Agreement in 2015 creating worldwide sustainable goals to keep the global average temperature below 2°C. Following this, the UK government have released their net zero strategy that outlines how they want to reduce the number of carbon emissions across the country, especially targeting businesses. Businesses emit a large proportion of the UK’s greenhouse gases, including 18.7% from companies in 2022. Therefore, becoming net zero has become a desirable opportunity for many.
This guide will explore what it means for a business to become net zero, and how sourcing sustainable products can positively impact the working environment.
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Find out what we mean by the term “net zero”, and how it applies to businesses.
Find out more about the importance of business sustainability, specifically for SMEs.
Read about what businesses should be aware of when creating net zero targets.
Discover how your business can become more sustainable, and how CMD can help you.
Read the most frequently asked questions on net zero businesses.
What is net zero?
In every industry, UK businesses will emit greenhouse gases that negatively affect the environment. Occasionally, these cannot be helped, as the different scopes of greenhouse gases are hardwired into daily business activity. However, to help reduce this impact on the atmosphere, many businesses have begun focusing on sustainable targets, such as becoming net zero by a certain period.
Net zero is a sustainable strategy that ensures no additional greenhouse gas emissions are added to the environment. As aforementioned, businesses emit a large percentage of different greenhouse gas scopes. However, net zero involves reducing greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible by balancing out any that remain in the atmosphere and removing an equivalent amount.
This may involve planting trees to add more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere and restoring peatlands.
Understanding your direct and indirect emissions
To reduce your total emissions as a business owner, you must understand where exactly they are rooted within your value chain and business activities. It is important to have complete clarity on your business’s environmental impact. Consider where the equipment you are utilising for your employees is coming from.
CMD supplies locally sourced equipment to businesses across the UK, and holds the world’s most recognised environmental management standard, BSI ISO 14001.
Our recommended product:
Shop the Miro monitor arm here.
The Miro monitor arm is one of our most popular ergonomic products, which has been sustainably sourced, and offers a minimalist aesthetic.
Contact CMD today to find out more about our sustainable products.
Why is it important that SMEs reach net zero by 2050?
SMEs will play an important part in ensuring that the United Kingdom meets the overall goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. All small UK businesses are qualified to have smart metres placed by their energy provider as part of the government’s effort to lower energy consumption, and their carbon footprint, and raise emissions standards.
Besides the obvious advantages, such as eliminating projected bills and enabling real-time energy-use monitoring, smart metres also give organisations significant data-driven insight.
Smart metre data, for instance, can be used to advise operational choices like delaying the usage of energy-intensive equipment during peak hours by identifying peaks and troughs in energy consumption. Businesses will be better able to prevent energy waste, cut expenses, and lower carbon emissions if they have a more thorough understanding of how they use energy.
With this in mind, there are many incentives for businesses (of any size) to aim for net-zero targets. Reaching net zero emissions by 2050 decreases the chance of a catastrophic 1.5°C temperature rise by 50%.
CMD has partnered with “Auditel” to help reduce our carbon footprint, lower CMD’s greenhouse gas emissions and achieve net zero. We aim to be completely net zero by 2050, with the rest of UK businesses, and implement sustainable goals to be completed in the next five and ten years. All while supporting our partners and clients with sustainable products for the office.
Our recommended power distribution product:
Shop the Betatrak Powertrack here.
What issues could your business face on the road to net zero?
Despite the positive impact on the environment, there are certain issues a business may face when implementing a net-zero strategy. As many companies are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, where many were forced to shut their doors and furlough their employees, restoring their company may have been a costly process. This may have affected future budgeting.
It can also be a costly process to implement more sustainable working practices in a business; n some cases, this means changing how the company operates. Business owners may also face issues reducing their carbon emissions due to insufficient knowledge of their current environmental performance, specifically their scope three emissions.
To ensure your business is environmentally conscious, consider working with local suppliers and companies that locally source their products.
CMD hold ISO 14001 certification, which is the world’s most recognisable environmental management standard. When making our office, we support the reuse and recycling of materials and supply equipment that has been locally sourced.
Contact CMD today to find out more about our net-zero strategy.
Top tips to help work towards a net zero business
To work towards the UK becoming net zero by 2050, there are certain elements a company can adapt to their working environment. This includes:
- Donate annually to carbon sequestration projects – such as reforestation and wetland restoration.
- Create manageable short – and long-term sustainable goals – for example, creating five- and ten-year plans to work towards, intending to become net zero by 2050.
- Educate staff in sustainable working practices – according to CMD research, 57% of UK employees believe their company should provide information on the best sustainable working practices.
- Use equipment that has been locally sourced – at CMD; we supply locally sourced equipment, such as the Miro monitor arm. Browse through the rest of our Ergonomics range here.
- Invest in renewable energy – this includes solar panels and harvesting rainwater.
- Use a supplier that follows environmental guidelines.
CMD is a British manufacturer with over 30 years of experience providing power and ergonomics solutions for businesses. We supply businesses across the UK with equipment for the office. This includes power distribution systems, ergonomic products, and workstation power devices to better manage energy use.
