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A big part of going green is reducing your carbon footprint. These five tips will help you do just that.
Running a profitable business is hard. Running a profitable business that is carbon-accountable is even more difficult. However, while becoming a sustainable operation can be challenging, reducing your business’s carbon footprint is worthwhile — from both a humanitarian and a business standpoint. We’ll explain more about a business’s carbon footprint. Also, we’ll share why and how you can and should reduce it.
Before you can reduce it, you must understand precisely what a business’s “carbon footprint” entails.
“A company’s carbon footprint is all the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions generated from the company’s operations,” explained Chris Bolman, CEO of sustainability management company Brightest. “That includes office energy consumption, vehicle fuel usage, receiving materials from suppliers, shipping customer orders, as well as other emissions sources, depending on the business model. This is commonly called an emissions or carbon ‘inventory.'”
Your company will undoubtedly generate emissions. Still, specific strategies will help you reduce your business’s carbon footprint and become more carbon-accountable.
Typical business operations — including materials production, transportation, consumption and disposal — account for a significant percentage of GHG emissions in the United States. Implementing a zero-waste approach is a short-term, powerful action that can pay off immediately for the climate.
Here’s how to move toward zero waste:
A zero-waste approach can apply to numerous aspects of your business. Consider the following tips:
Renewable fuels have become more prevalent over the last several years. This is largely due to climbing oil and gas prices and growing concerns about climate change. Given the finite nature of fossil fuels and the growing volume of international climate change regulations, companies should start measuring and reducing their energy consumption immediately. You’ll help create environmental benefits while giving your business a competitive edge as new climate policies are enacted.
While taking action may require an initial investment, harnessing green energy sources will save your company money in the long term.
Here are some ideas for harnessing renewable energy sources:
Modern transportation modes are among the biggest sources of GHG emissions. According to the Energy Information Administration, the transportation sector accounted for 31 percent of total GHG emissions in the U.S. in 2023. Reducing emissions and expenses related to business travel can minimize your company’s environmental impact while potentially increasing your bottom line.
Consider the following ways to cut business travel emissions:
If your business works to reduce business travel emissions, it will be in good company. The GHG Protocol supplies highly regarded GHG accounting standards and guidance. Large corporations like IBM and 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies have adopted its standards to help measure their carbon footprint.
Actively engaging your employees is one of the most impactful ways to make your business more carbon-accountable. Individuals may feel powerless about seemingly insurmountable environmental issues, but businesses can help empower them to enact positive changes.
Here are a few ways to educate and engage employees in your efforts to reduce your business’s carbon footprint:
Another way to reduce your business’s carbon footprint is to account for changing weather and seasons.
“Implement temperature controls to make sure heating and cooling are timed properly and in accordance with the air temperature outside,” advised Rene Delgado, founder and president of The Indoor Golf Shop. “By doing so, overheating or cooling can be reduced.” Delgado says it’s particularly important to maintain a cool nighttime temperature.
Tips for weatherizing your space include the following:
Reducing your business’s carbon footprint is the right thing to do for several reasons, both practical and moral.
George Mazzella agrees that if companies can effectively reduce their carbon footprints, they will help slow down the current climate crisis we face today. “Aside from the obvious ‘because it’s the right thing to do’ argument, businesses can also see an increase in their financial performance by adopting more sustainable practices,” said Mazzella, VP of sales and business development at Nori.
Nature and capitalism don’t have to be at odds. By minimizing your business’s carbon footprint, you can cut energy costs. You can also improve employee morale, strengthen your company’s reputation as a leader in sustainability and even increase your revenue — all while protecting the resources and planet we need to operate and thrive.
Mark Fairlie contributed to this article. Source interviews were conducted for a previous version of this article.