How to: Climate-neutral company in 5 steps

While the climate crisis was still a rather small topic a few years ago, the relevance and extent of it has now arrived in society and companies. People do not only want to make a contribution in the private sphere, but also in the professional and corporate context. There, you can find a growing awareness that action must be taken. Because: there is no negotiating with the climate. Day by day, year by year, we are reducing the CO2 budget that is still available to us if we want to be climate-neutral in Germany by 2050. Companies have a major responsibility in reaching that goal. By reducing their own carbon footprint, they send an important signal not only to their employees, but also to their peers and the business community that making a contribution to a livable future is not "nice to have," but a duty. But how does a company become climate neutral?

The path to climate neutrality

At PIABO PR, the topic of sustainability and climate protection has been on the agenda since 2009. As the agency's commitment to sustainable technologies grew, so did its awareness of the need to make its own business activities more sustainable. Climate neutrality is the logical step after a series of measures that PIABO has launched so far. These include anchoring sustainable values in the agency handbook, founding the Sustainability AG, and setting up the Greentech and Sustainability Unit at the beginning of 2020. The unit's topics range from topics such as smart cities and new mobility to Industry 4.0 applications and avoiding food waste with the help of digital innovations, as well as its investors.

This is how the transformation to a climate-neutral company succeeds:

Step 1: Awareness

Change always starts with yourself. Therefore, the first step on the way to a climate-neutral company is to create awareness. It’s important to be aware that climate protection is part of the corporate's responsibility and that it is fun to embark on this path together.

 
Step 2: Checking the status quo

In order to take the path of becoming climate neutral, it is necessary to take a close look at how the company is actually positioned.

At PIABO, it started small: switching to Fairtrade coffee and water from a filter system instead of bottles and to vegetarian catering. Then, step by step, we got down to the business - to where most CO2 emissions occur, namely in the areas of mobility, energy supply and office equipment.

How do employees get to work? Is the office centrally located so that it is possible to get there by public transport, by bike or on foot? If there are company cars: What is the structure of the fleet? How many trips are made? What about business trips? Where does the electricity come from and how is heating provided? Is there air conditioning and is the building well insulated? How much electricity do the electrical appliances consume, and in general: How many new electrical appliances, laptops or cell phones are purchased each year? These are all things that have an impact on the CO2 balance and can be examined more closely. 

Step 3: Measure your carbon footprint

Following the motto "You can't manage what you can't measure," it is now time to face reality: By using various tools, it can be easily determined how high the company's CO2 footprint actually is. PIABO did the math by using the CO2 calculator of 'Leaders for Climate Action', a climate initiative of over 300 digital companies in Germany. But Plan A or planetly also offer similar services. The Federal Environment Agency can also be a contact point for info and tips.

Step 4: Compensation

Once the balance sheet exists, the company's own climate impact can be offset through compensation. Offsetting is an instrument for climate protection in which the greenhouse gas emissions caused are compensated for elsewhere, for example through reforestation work in rainforests, moorland protection or the introduction of efficient technologies worldwide. When offsetting, it is important to look for Gold Standard (GS) or Verified Carbon Standard (VCS) certification of projects. Certified providers include atmosfair, ClimatePartner or myClimate, for example. You can find more information here.

Step 5: Continuosly reduce the CO2 footprint

After the inventory, the reduction measures and the compensation comes the real challenge: We protect the climate by getting to the root of the problem as individuals, but also as companies, and continuously reducing CO2 emissions as much as possible. A variety of measures can be taken to reduce the CO2 footprint:

Employees can be persuaded to switch to climate-friendly means of transport. Companies can cover the cost of local transport tickets, promote the leasing of company bicycles or organize carpools. The fleet can also be converted to electric cars for a climate-friendly solution. Business trips can be put to the test: Does every trip have to happen and can it best be done by train? If the Covid 19 pandemic has had any good, it's likely to be a change of mindset that some meetings can be held just as well digitally.

There are also some things that can be done in the area of energy supply: switching to an independent and certified green energy provider is an obvious choice, but perhaps even a solar system can be installed on the company roof or it makes sense to participate in an energy cooperative. Thermostats can help with proper heating, air conditioning systems should be used as rarely as possible and run on natural refrigerants.

Not to forget the area of supplies and office materials: regional food has a low footprint, and changing the canteen food or event catering to a vegetarian option, this also protects the climate. The consumption of resources for the manufacture of electronic equipment is enormous. Again, it may be possible to reconsider how often new equipment is purchased. In the area of IT, moving to the cloud can be more climate-friendly than running your own IT infrastructure.

The list of measures is diverse, and there is certainly something suitable for every company. More information on further measures can be found here. One thing is certain: it can be done. Once the start has been made, the process continues step by step.

The cherry on the cake: Do good and talk about it

Every company that does something for climate protection is strong, but together we are even stronger. The greater the visibility of corporate action in the area of climate protection, the stronger the signal and the chance that the spark will jump from one company to another and together we will get something moving that we would not have been able to get going on such a scale on our own. Therefore: Do good and talk about it!

Tilo Bonow, CEO of PIABO, and Andreas Krönke, Unit Director Technology, are available to answer any questions you may have about PR in the area of Greentech & Sustainability.