Climate leadership

Integrate climate into your business strategy

A climate plan will keep you on track to achieve your goals.
Illustration of a bullseye depicting a business target
Good to know

Take metrics, set goals

Thinking strategically means that you won’t neglect what’s good for the planet when you’re focused on running your business. Integrating climate action into your strategy means creating a comprehensive plan for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In your plan, take metrics on current emissions and set timebound goals for cutting them.
Payback period

On average, SMEs that integrated climate considerations into their business strategy took 15 months to recoup their investment.

Roadmap to building a climate strategy

Commit to carbon reduction by setting goals and KPIs

It’s critical to get a picture of your current carbon footprint. This means you should evaluate your activities and assets to determine how much GHG emissions each one produces. Calculating your GHG emissions as well as auditing your waste or energy will help you to get a sense of where to start your journey. This is also a perfect time to write a clear statement of why climate action is important for your company.

Build an action plan with the right people

The next step is to set a company-wide action plan to help you reach your carbon reduction goals. Consider what are your risks, opportunities and barriers to success. Your action plan should include:

  • A manageable list of impactful projects
  • A timeline for achieving each one
  • The employee responsible for each project
  • The metrics to gauge your progress (milestones and key performance indicators)
  • A dashboard to monitor progress

Also, let your stakeholders (employees, supply chain, shareholders, clients) know about your ambitions. It’s key to raise awareness among your workforce, as your employees are your biggest ambassadors and will be key players in rolling out your action plan.

Stay on track

It’s easy to start with high ambitions and get waylaid by day-to-day pressures. That’s why regular check-ins and a dashboard are essential for monitoring progress, resolve problems and taking corrective actions. Your climate dashboard is where you can track KPIs and set improvement targets. Problems will crop up so it’s important to remain agile and flexible.

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