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30 Steps to Another Way Business: Staff


Step 2: Audit

It is important to clarify everything that your business is already doing that is sustainable so that you can become more aware of the areas that you have the potential to improve upon.

  • What is the business doing currently? Take the time to walk around your office/ building and think about what each space is used for. How many disposable items are there? Could these items be switched for reusables? Are there unnecessary piles of paper that could be stored as documents on the computer instead? How many electricals are switched on but not in use? Is this surprising?
  • Familiarise the business with the different categories: transport; energy; waste; water; customers; products; suppliers; finance; outreach etc. Ask the business to rank how sustainable they think they already are in each of these areas (1=not at all sustainable; 10=as sustainable as possible) and explain your reasoning.
  • Subscribe to Myclimate to keep track of the company’s carbon footprint, by using the calculator tool here. There are only 5 groups of questions so it won’t take long! If you don’t know the answers to the questions, ask yourself why not. Is it not important for a business to keep track of the time, energy, money & resources they use?

Idea: look at getting a Carbon Reduction label for your business. This is a public commitment that the carbon footprint of a product or service has been measured and certified and the owner of the product or service has committed to reduce that footprint over the following two years.