Blog

Business

blog_how_to_put_sustainability_into_your_business_plans

Blog_How_to_put_sustainability_into_your_business_plans

How sustainability can give your business an edge in 2023

Both of last year’s COP summits made it pretty clear that we can’t rely on governments alone, and we really need to count on businesses to step up and take a leading role in tackling climate change. Reassuringly, <a href="https://www.business.hsbc.com/navigator/sustainability">96% of businesses feel increasing pressure to become more sustainable</a>. Of course, it&#8217;s easier said than done, but with a little effort, the rewards for business are plentiful:
✔ Boost competitive advantage
✔ Boost brand
✔ Attract talent
✔ Please stakeholders
✔ Save time
✔ Save money
✔ Save the planet!!!
The list goes on….

blog_how_to_put_sustainability_into_your_business_plans_01b

Blog_How_to_put_sustainability_into_your_business_plans_01b

When businesses put sustainability in their plans, the list of wins really does go on and on. Both for the planet and for their own commercial success. A McKinsey Global Survey recently found that 83% of C-suite leaders and investment professionals believe ESG programs will<a href="https://www.imd.org/research-knowledge/articles/why-all-businesses-should-embrace-sustainability/"> generate more shareholder value in five years’ time than they do today</a>. 
Sustainable business strategies like reducing emissions and waste production, offsetting unavoidable emissions, and limiting the use of energy, water and raw materials, can massively reduce costs. And, as governments <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/net-zero-review-uk-could-do-more-to-reap-economic-benefits-of-green-growth">incentivise investment in decarbonisation</a>, businesses can boost revenue by expanding into profitable new markets while enjoying tax benefits and capital allowances (e.g. tax credits, business deductions, and government subsidies). 
Sustainability is great for the bottom line, but it also works wonders for the brand too. As <a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/uk/en/pages/consumer-business/articles/sustainable-consumer.html">consumers are increasingly making decisions based on the environment</a>, sustainable business practices can become a main source of competitive advantage. Loyalty, reputation and ultimately sales can shoot up, and the best people will want to come and work for you. <a href="https://www.peoplemanagement.co.uk/article/1745031/employers-and-workforces-environmental-values-unaligned">Two-thirds of UK employees</a> have said they’d be more likely to work for an organisation that has strong environmental values.

blog_how_to_put_sustainability_into_your_business_plans_02

Blog_How_to_put_sustainability_into_your_business_plans_02

We’d hope that no right-minded business would want to turn that juicy list of benefits down, but putting sustainability into practice can take a little guidance, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) who don’t have bottomless budgets to throw at expensive consultants. We’re here to help!
A British Business Bank survey found that <a href="https://www.british-business-bank.co.uk/press-release/smaller-businesses-responsible-for-around-half-of-all-uk-greenhouse-gas-emissions-from-businesses-british-business-bank-research-reveals/">SMEs contribute half of all business-driven emissions in the UK</a>. So we really need SMEs in particular to step up and do their bit for the planet. 
The most effective way for SMEs to tackle climate change is to rapidly decarbonise their supply chains, reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and eventually get to net-zero. 
Here’s some of the best ways to get started on that journey: 
<h2>🚛 Sustainable supply chain</h2>
Supply chains hold the key, as for a typical business they can account for up to <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/sustainability/our-insights/starting-at-the-source-sustainability-in-supply-chains">80% of an organisation’s total greenhouse gas emissions</a>. The key is to map out the whole supply chain, from where the raw materials come from, to what factory makes the products, to how waste is disposed of. This process can take a long time, but it’s worth it. You can then look at greening your supply chain with the help of companies like <a href="https://reboxed.co/">Reboxed</a> and <a href="https://globechain.com/">Globechain</a> to buy pre-owned business items, or <a href="https://thefirstmile.co.uk/">Firstmile</a> to sustainably dispose of your waste. Another quick win is to use renewable energy suppliers like <a href="https://www.ecotricity.co.uk/">ecotricity</a> and <a href="https://www.ovoenergy.com/">ovo energy</a>. Alongside reducing emissions, there’s plenty more a business can do to reduce its impact on the environment.
<h2>💷 Ethical banking &amp; pensions</h2>
Money talks, and simply putting yours into an ethical bank will get you off to a flying start. Banks globally have provided <a href="https://www.ran.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Banking_on_Climate_Change__2020_vF.pdf">$2.7 trillion in financing</a> for fossil fuels since the 2015 Paris Agreement, and banking for fossil fuels rose <a href="https://www.ran.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Banking_on_Climate_Change__2020_vF.pdf">$736 billion in 2019 alone</a>.  Your bank could be using your money to finance environmental degradation in the form of fossil fuels, deforestation and extractive mining without you knowing, but ethical banks like <a href="https://www.triodos.co.uk/">Triodos</a> will always use it to support a better future. 
An often overlooked option to significantly reduce your carbon footprint is to switch to a pension provider that isn&#8217;t abetting fossil fuel investment. Ensuring your pension aligns with the rest of your climate action is a remarkably effective way to ensure your earnings are contributing to causes you actually believe in. Did you know that greening your pension is <a href="https://makemymoneymatter.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">21 times more effective</a> at reducing emissions than stopping flying, going veggie, and switching to a renewable energy supplier combined?! See Make My Money Matter&#8217;s toolkit <a href="https://makemymoneymatter.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/MMMM_PartnerPledge_Toolkit_v5.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a> for next steps.
<h2>🌐 Low carbon web hosting</h2>
If you’re just starting out, choose a business like <a href="https://www.create.net/">create.net</a> to design and build your website. You can then host that website on servers that run on renewable energy with a provider such as <a href="https://ecologi.com/articles/blog/case-study-a-krystal-clear-vision">Krystal hosting</a>, who use 100% green energy for all their operations and data centres. 
<h2>👣 Carbon footprinting</h2>
If you don’t measure it, you can’t manage it, so it’s crucial to get an accurate picture of your carbon footprint. When you know where your emissions are hiding you can take the right actions to reduce them. That’s where <a href="https://ecologi.com/business/zero">Ecologi Zero</a> comes in. It’s our free carbon footprinting tool, designed specifically for service-based SMEs. Ecologi Zero <a href="https://ecologi.com/articles/blog/ecologi-zero-joins-the-xero-app-store">integrates with Xero accounting software</a> to quickly and simply provide a snapshot of Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, and get you going on the path towards net-zero. 
<h2>💚 Climate Action Workforce</h2>
At Ecologi, we also offer a simple way to keep the planet in mind by offering a perk that your employees will love. Support your business&#8217; sustainability journey with a <a href="https://ecologi.com/business/climate-action-workforce" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Climate Action Workforce</a> monthly subscription that rewards your team, and our planet by funding certified carbon avoidance and responsible tree planting projects every month.
<h2>🌱 Funding climate action with Ecologi</h2>
Fund the planting of trees or fund high quality climate action for every sale or customer using our <a href="https://apps.shopify.com/ecologi">Shopify</a> or <a href="https://zapier.com/apps/ecologi/integrations">Zapier</a> integrations. The options and ideas for integrating climate action into your business are infinite with our <a href="https://ecologi.com/business/integrations">Ecommerce integrations</a>. They&#8217;re convenient and simple to set up. You can also get started with a free <a href="https://ecologi.com/business/marketplace">pay-as-you-go</a> account with Ecologi, and manually add trees to your company forest or support climate whenever you choose. You can even add a badge to your website, showing your climate impact and the trees you’ve funded for planting so far, as well as joining our <a href="https://ecologi.com/leaderboards/business">leaderboard of businesses with the highest number of trees funded for planting</a>.

blog_how_to_put_sustainability_into_your_business_plans_03b

Blog_How_to_put_sustainability_into_your_business_plans_03b

Net-zero is where we all need to be headed, and our aim is to make that journey as simple and effective as possible. Together <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/">we must reach net-zero by 2050</a>, or we’ll exceed the Paris Agreement&#8217;s targets and there will be no going back from some of the worst impacts of climate change. 
Now is our chance to rewrite the future. Do it for your business. Do it for our planet.

Want to learn more about about how your business can gain an edge through sustainability with Ecologi? Speak to us.

blog_climate_commitments_survey_header

Blog_Climate_Commitments_Survey_Header

Climate Commitments Survey 2024

Our Climate Commitments 2024 report surveyed 1,400 business owners and decision-makers to businesses with 1-1,000 employees spanning all regions of the UK and 28 professional sectors. 
There were three clear themes that emerged this year. Despite the continuing economic downturn, businesses are still making sustainability a core part of their strategy and reaping the benefits. Whilst more and more businesses are starting their net-zero journey the majority are not on course to hit their targets by 2050. Key barriers around investment, time and tools still remain as well as a lack of government support to accelerate the transition to the net zero economy.
<h3>Read the full report </h3>
<div class="ecologi-video-full-width"><iframe src="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20240415131731/Climate_Commitments_Survey.pdf" width="595" height="841" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
 📁 Download the PDF report <a href="https://cms-assets.offset.earth/app/uploads/20240415131731/Climate_Commitments_Survey.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>

blog_climate_commitments_survey_banner_01

Blog_Climate_Commitments_Survey_Banner_01

<h3>1. Despite the continuing economic downturn, businesses are making sustainability a core part of their strategy and reaping the benefits.</h3>
76% said becoming more environmentally sustainable is a core business strategy for their organisation in 2024.
Despite the current cost of living crisis nearly two thirds (64%) say that the economic downturn is having a positive or no impact at all on their sustainability commitments with only a third (29%) saying it is having a negative impact. As a result 81% are planning on either increasing or maintaining their investment in sustainability initiatives.
Changing business practices are wide-ranging and have seen nearly half of respondents increasing rates of recycling (49%) or reducing energy consumption (48%) while over a third (37%) have taken the step of using ‘greener’ suppliers and products, been educating employees on best practices to reduce climate change (35%) and increased their use of renewable energy (35%).
For the two thirds of businesses (63%) who have set sustainability targets, they are reporting multiple business benefits. These range from improved brand reputation (34%), reduced costs (31%), increased productivity and/or innovation (30%), attracting more eco-conscious customers (28%), employee loyalty and/or motivation (28%), competitive advantage (22%) and increased revenue and/or market share (22%).

blog_climate_commitments_survey_banner_02

Blog_Climate_Commitments_Survey_Banner_02

<h3>2. More and more businesses are starting their net-zero journey but are not on course to hit their targets</h3>
72% of businesses have either measured their footprint consistently over the past few years (35%) or in the last year (37%) demonstrating the momentum in the first step on a net-zero journey.
Around a third have calculated their carbon footprint (30%), set emissions reductions targets (35%), achieved emissions reductions (30%) and funded climate action (35%) but less than a third (27%) were on track to reach net-zero by 2050 or sooner.
Businesses still recognised the role of carbon offsetting as an effective way for businesses to contribute to global climate action (21%) when used as part of a wider strategy (17%) after reducing emissions as much as possible (17%). Funding tree planting still tops the list as businesses’ number one favoured climate action solution (46%), followed by renewable energy (38%), habitat conservation &amp; restoration (37%), rainforest conservation (32%) and carbon dioxide removal (31%).

blog_climate_commitments_survey_banner_03

Blog_Climate_Commitments_Survey_Banner_03

<h3>3. Barriers around investment, time and tools still remain, as well as a lack of government support.</h3>
Over a third of UK businesses cited financial constraints (32%), the cost of tools or technology (28%), lack of government support in the form of incentives (25%), time constraints (25%) and the lack of the ability to measure their carbon footprint (20%). 
The business sector is calling out for more support from the government.  Nearly eight in ten (79%) of UK businesses feel that the government should provide more support to improve their environmental affairs, three quarters (76%) feel that the government investing in the green economy would be good for business, creating jobs and lowering their running costs while 73% feel more government support is key to their business increasing its sustainability targets.
With less than half (49%) of businesses yet to apply for government funding to make their business greener there’s a clear desire for more funding (45%) and incentives (44%) to be made available as well as clearer information (40%) on how to access these.

<h3>Businesses can lead the sustainable revolution</h3>
Ecologi remains committed to supporting businesses on their climate journey through our all-in-one platform allowing organisations to calculate their carbon footprint, set targets and reduce their emissions whilst funding high quality climate action projects. Our mission is to inspire and empower businesses to accelerate global climate action.
We’re trusted by over 20,000 businesses. Why not add yours to the list? If you want to make your business greener, better, faster, stronger, speak to our expert team.
You can access the full data set <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vR2QZj3JAUk_f4suOMmd653C6AEiytUp_T5WhBnUOypIkW9Wf9yT61C9TzQ4_GMwQ/pubhtml" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>

Speak to our expert team to make your business greener, better, faster, stronger

Ecologi Impact Report 2023: Another year of impact for our planet

blog_impact_report_2023_header

Blog_Impact_Report_2023_Header

Impact Report 2023: Another year of impact for our planet

Read our 2023 Impact Report to discover the incredible achievements of the Ecologi community.

It’s that time of year again, when we share our annual Impact Report to highlight the scale of the impact funded by our community, and the incredible achievements of the impactful projects that Ecologi has supported over the past twelve months.
Read the full report below, or stick with us here, as we summarise some of the top facts and figures from 2023.

<h2>Over 75 million trees funded</h2>
…in fact, nearly 77 million! As of the end of the year, the Ecologi community has funded the planting of 76.9 million trees in eighteen countries around the world – from Argentina to Tanzania.
This includes 20.6 million trees which were funded by the Ecologi community in 2023, representing 27% of our overall count of trees funded to date.
We also now support reforestation projects in all four nations of the United Kingdom, and have planted 300,000 trees here at home.

<h2>Over 38,000 livelihoods supported through reforestation and agroforestry projects</h2>
We are constantly working on improving our understanding of how our funding for reforestation projects supports local people and communities.
Thanks to improved data visibility across our projects this year, we can report that the reforestation projects we fund support at least 38,000 people – for example through training, employment, investment in micro-businesses, or the provision of healthcare and wellbeing services.

<h2>New habitat restoration projects already showing results</h2>
In October, we launched our first-ever dedicated habitat restoration project – called <a href="https://ecologi.com/projects/wildflowers-wetlands-and-wildlife" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wildflowers, Wetlands and Wildlife</a>. This project supports the Future Forest Company’s projects restoring and conserving habitats and ecosystems that are important for native biodiversity in the United Kingdom – costing only a few pounds per square metre of habitat restored.
In just the last quarter of 2023, our community funded it’s first 5,000 m2 of habitat restoration, and the sites are already seeing some exciting signs that this restorative effort is working – with the return of the Northern brown argus (Aricia artaxerxes) to Stirlingshire, and elusive pine martens (Martes martes) spotted at Dumyat.

<h2>Another half a million tonnes of carbon avoidance</h2>
Our community funded another 565 ktCO2e this year, bringing our all-time total of emissions avoided to 2.96 MtCO2e (million tonnes).
This year, we saw increased demand for a wide range of projects that feature lots of co-benefits, with Community-based projects (like cookstoves and boreholes) averaging 7.25 validated benefits for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and Nature-based projects averaging 5.38 SDGs.
The voluntary carbon market has received a lot of attention and scrutiny this year, which has helped to expose some of the poor-quality projects on the market, as well as increasing transparency, due diligence and quality standards across the board. This year, we joined the <a href="https://cmif.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Carbon Markets Innovation Forum</a>, to join up with other startups in the carbon markets who are dedicated to supporting only high-quality projects.
Thanks to all these positive changes, as well as a huge demand for high-quality projects, the market is starting to bounce back – and high-quality projects are starting to receive the attention (and funding) they deserve. You can read more about how we review projects before funding them <a href="https://ecologi.com/articles/blog/funding-carbon-credits" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

<h2>Our first 1,000 tonnes of carbon removal</h2>
Late in the year, we launched our first carbon removal projects onto our <a href="http://ecologi.com/impact-shop" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Impact Shop</a>, enabling our community to <a href="https://ecologi.com/projects/biochar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">fund biochar projects</a> for the first time, and our community funded our first 1,056 tonnes of removals.
Carbon removal projects are those which take carbon dioxide (CO2) which is already in the atmosphere, remove it, and store it somewhere in the biosphere (like in forests) or the geosphere (like underground). These tend to be much more expensive on the market than carbon avoidance, and so the volumes are modest. This year, we began to fund projects with durable storage – <a href="https://ecologi.com/impact-shop/support-biochar-carbon-removal-projects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">biochar carbon removal</a> – as well as those with nature-based storage, through <a href="https://ecologi.com/impact-shop/support-certified-blue-carbon-projects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blue carbon</a> and <a href="https://ecologi.com/impact-shop/support-certified-afforestation-projects" target="_blank" rel="noopener">terrestrial afforestation (ARR)</a>.
Around 10% of our community’s carbon removal tonnes funded this year went towards biochar, with 40% for blue carbon and 50% for green ARR.

<h2>Read more stats and stories in our full Impact Report 2023</h2>
We’ve collected just a few of our favourite stats in this article, but you can read more – and more in-depth stories from all the projects supported – in the full report, <a href="https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vSGPflji-t40_-gNYvj9Nam45ZQbcrU8EEFo9uuTk--SakI9khZ_kb3F42lxKq8JlwNzxAqyHK9vOz_/pub?start=false&amp;loop=false&amp;delayms=60000" target="_blank" rel="noopener">which you can view here</a>.
As ever, we extend our heartfelt thanks to every member of the Ecologi community who supported these wonderful projects in 2023, as well as all our partners and suppliers and other organisations who we have worked with this year.

Ready to make a difference for our planet? Get in touch, and let’s chat about how we can help you on your climate journey.

Case studies

blog_case_study_eet_01blog_case_study_eet_header

Blog_Case_Study_EET_01Blog_Case_Study_EET_Header

Case study: How EET Group is embedding sustainability

Case study: How EET Group is embedding sustainability into IT distribution 

<h2>About EET Group</h2>
EET Group is a value adding IT distributor. They pride themselves on providing expert industry knowledge, tailored logistics solutions, unique sales services, and innovative marketing tools to support their partners&#8217; success.
Founded in 1986, operating in 23 markets across Europe and shipping to over 70 countries, EET Group offers an extensive portfolio of more than 1,100 brands. Their team of 750 employees works collaboratively to deliver unparalleled value to partners and customers.

blog_case_study_eet_banner_stats-2

Blog_Case_Study_EET_Banner_Stats

<h2>Issue</h2>
The distribution of spare parts was EET Group’s initial business focus and remains a cornerstone today, even as they have expanded their business into other areas. With a 30-year heritage in spare parts distribution, environmental purpose is embedded in their DNA.
Their mission is to extend the lifespan of electronic equipment, including printers, laptops, mobile phones, and servers, thereby diverting them from landfill. They give tech products a second life, before they become electronic waste. The team is already making significant progress in their climate journey, having calculated their carbon footprint and set emissions reductions goals. Their next step involves setting Science Based Targets.
EET Group was looking for a trusted partner capable of assisting them in making a greater positive impact on our planet while enhancing transparency. EET Group&#8217;s decision to collaborate with Ecologi was driven by a desire to attract employees, suppliers, and customers, as well as to enhance brand reputation and drive business growth.
The team also saw the benefit of joining a community that’s working together to collectively tackle the climate crisis, and connecting with other like-minded businesses through initiatives like the Million Tree Pledge.

<h2>Challenges</h2>
There were some barriers to overcome, such as a lack of knowledge about the appropriate climate action, and concerns about potential greenwashing accusations. However, Ecologi’s expert team was available to provide assistance in addressing these challenges.
EET Group was reassured by Ecologi&#8217;s credibility, demonstrated through our trusted relationships with over 20,000 businesses and the fact that our climate experts employ state-of-the-art data and monitoring capabilities throughout the verification and due diligence process. They were also reassured that we regularly update our transparency page with evidence of our strategy, impact ledger and financial information.
EET Group was also confident that Ecologi’s business toolkit and communication guidelines are available to offer practical assistance in using the correct language and avoiding the pitfalls of greenwashing.

blog_case_study_eet_banner_quote-2

Blog_Case_Study_EET_Banner_Quote

<h2>Solution</h2>
EET Group’s climate journey began by selecting the right portfolio from Ecologi&#8217;s extensive list of high quality carbon avoidance projects. The team introduced ‘climate conscious outbound shipping’, which involved purchasing carbon credits to mitigate emissions from outbound carriers.
Then, at the beginning of 2021, EET Group took the Million Tree Pledge and committed to planting one million trees by 2025. Since then, they have planted one tree for every five shipments leaving their warehouses. With around 1.1 million outbound shipments a year, they have planted more than 220,000 trees annually – that’s an area the size of two tennis courts every single day! EET Group actually smashed their 2025 target and fulfilled their million tree pledge in April 2023.
EET Group has already implemented circular practices and eliminated virgin plastics from their own private label eStuff Infinite consumer products. Now, they are focusing on reducing the environmental impact of their B2B products as well. In the future, they plan to collaborate with Ecovadis and the SBTI to introduce more sophisticated tracking of Scopes 1,2 and 3 emissions, thereby improving the accuracy of their measurements to date.

<h2>Outcome</h2>
EET Group has already funded the planting of a staggering 1.43 million trees and, through purchasing and retiring certified carbon credits with Ecologi, has prevented the emission of over 26,300 tCO2e.

blog_case_study_eet_banner_profile

Blog_Case_Study_EET_Banner_Profile

By sharing EET Group’s impact with customers, suppliers and employees, Ecologi has added even more value to the partnership.
Ongoing sustainability initiatives are discussed at every ‘town hall’ and board meeting, with regular updates on trees funded for planting. The partnership has truly become a part of the corporate culture. EET Group also regularly reports its environmental impact through dedicated company web pages. And to increase awareness of their reforestation initiative, every physical shipment notice includes a marketing message highlighting that for every five shipments, the planting of a tree is funded. They also link directly to both Ecologi and the Million Tree Pledge through their website and social media channels.
The team is regularly invited to talk about their reforestation efforts at customer and supplier events, and they have completed several annual initiatives with suppliers, inviting them to stand together and grow the EET Group forest by contributing trees to the cause.
At Ecologi, we believe that sharing impact is fundamental to the climate journey. Our badges, business toolkit, and communication guidelines have made it easier and more effective for the team at EET Group to share their good work.

blog_case_study_eet_banner_share-2

Blog_Case_Study_EET_Banner_Share

Kristian Lading, Group Chief Products and Solutions Officer at EET Group, is building something of a reputation for his sustainability efforts, both at home and at work. His colleagues fondly refer to him as the “Tree Man” and his daughter describes his job as “selling electronic spare parts and planting trees”. We fully endorse that job description! 
<blockquote>Making a positive impact on the environment and contributing to the fight against climate change is something we at EET take great pride in. We will continue to work with Ecologi and our valued customers and suppliers to grow the EET Forest and support reforestation efforts around the world. It helps us engage with customers and suppliers, and attract new employees, as everybody understands that planting trees is great for our planet.</blockquote>

<h2>Want to make your business greener, better, faster, stronger?</h2>
If this article has inspired your business to start its climate journey, talk to our team today.

How sustainability can give your business an edge in 2023

More posts

Climate Commitments Survey: UK businesses making sustainability core business strategy

Impact Report 2023: Another year of impact for our planet

Case study: How EET Group is embedding sustainability into IT distribution

Stay in touch with Ecologi