5 steps to build your sustainability strategy

As the planet continues to warm, there is a growing expectation for all businesses to balance profit with impact on people and planet, and consultancies are no exception.

Consultancies working in the public sector, or for large enterprise clients, are now routinely expected to produce carbon reduction plans as part of RFPs. And for a sector in which attracting high-quality talent is everything, sustainability has become an important differentiator in the recruitment process.

So how can a consultancy build a strong sustainability strategy? Here are the 5 steps that any consultancy can take to get started.

1. Measure your impact 

It’s hard to influence what you aren’t measuring, so step one is to understand and quantify your carbon footprint.

As a consultancy, you might not emit much CO2 from the energy you consume directly in the office, but the bulk of your footprint happens outside of the office environment.

For example, the IT equipment that enables your work, and the office furniture that keeps you comfy, all generated emissions when they were produced. Likewise, your employees generate emissions when they commute into the office, use energy working from home, and travel to a client meeting – and all of these are counted in your footprint.

Free online tools can provide a great starting point. However, for a footprint that is comprehensive, accounts for quirks, and reflects the positive changes you make as a business, look for carbon accounting software like Seedling.

2. Set reduction targets 

Resolved in the 2015 Paris Agreement, the global ambition is to limit global warming to 1.5^oC – and every business has a role to play.

Once you’ve measured your footprint, set reduction targets that align to the global effort. Backed by the United Nations, the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) is a globally recognised framework used by businesses to set emissions reduction targets in line with climate science. Following the SBTi’s framework means committing to cut your emissions in half by 2030 and by 90% by 2050.

3. Adopt a reduction plan

For a sector in which attracting high-quality talent is everything, sustainability has become an important differentiator

Small changes can aggregate to make a big difference. Some are obvious (better energy efficiency in the office), but others can be surprising: manufacturing the average laptop produces emissions equivalent to flying Bristol to Berlin and back – so can you buy refurbished?

Equally, encouraging remote working can end up net negative when taking the additional home energy usage into account! This equation can vary hugely from firm to firm. The key is to use your emissions data to set your optimal reduction strategy. 

4. Invest in climate action 

Despite the small changes consultancies can make, we can’t fully decarbonise without large-scale transitions in infrastructure and technology. But we can maximise our impact now by investing in projects around the world that lead to the avoidance of new emissions or the removal of existing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere – such as renewable energy installations and tree-planting.

The UN’s CDM and the Gold Standard organisation offer accredited, high-quality projects that also achieve benefits beyond carbon.

5. Encourage others to act 

Once you’ve taken action, you can lead others – employees, clients, even your competitors – to do the same. Share your impact with your network, being as transparent as possible to avoid risk of greenwashing. Always focus first on your own actions (measuring and reducing your emissions) before talking about the wider impact you’re having through offsetting projects.

Seedling is a climate action platform helping consultancies to measure, reduce and offset their emissions. TCGN members get a 10% discount. Get in touch with aimee@seedling.earth and quote TCGN.