Carbon sequestration what? Circular economy who? There’s no doubt that climate change confusion is real. With a recent report suggesting that over half of UK SME’s are baffled by ‘carbon jargon’ and 61% stating that they would find advice to reduce their carbon impact helpful, it’s clear that knowing more is the key to doing more.
Small businesses are a major source of carbon emissions in the UK. But the benefits of embracing a greener future for your business are far-reaching. From improving brand image to attracting top talent, making visible actions to reduce your carbon footprint is a no-brainer.
The good news? When it comes to transitioning to net zero, even the smallest efforts can have a big impact. Here are ten organisations that can help you to lead a cleaner, greener lifestyle at home and at work.
Good Energy
It comes as no surprise that energy is one of the most significant sources of emissions. By switching to a renewable supplier, your business can reduce its carbon impact and help to protect the planet. Ranked as one of the country’s greenest suppliers by Which?, Good Energy doesn’t disguise electricity generated from fossil fuels by greenwashing it. Its 100% renewable electricity is made in Britain by over 1,700 independent green generators. That’s not all, 10% of the gas supplied is renewable biogas, and the rest is offset by investing in projects that improve access to green energy worldwide.
Terracycle
While some materials may be technically recyclable, most materials are not profitable to recycle. As a result, waste piles up in landfills while new materials are used to create new products. From coffee pods to plastic cutlery, Terracycle’s Zero Waste Boxes make it possible to recycle things that are not widely accepted through local recycling services. Great news if you’re like us and coffee is the lifeblood of your office! The process is simple – choose the Zero Waste Box that’s right for you, fill it, and send it back to Terracycle for the waste to be turned back into raw material ready to be re-used!
My Green Pod
Showcasing ethical alternatives to everyday products, My Green Pod has made it impossible to stock up your cupboards in a toxic way. From food and drink to cleaning products and gifts, the platform does all the leg work in finding ethically sourced, sustainable items, and they even plant a tree every time you purchase. Result!
Watch their ‘about us’ video here.
Ecologi
Help your company become climate positive by offsetting your emissions through tree planting. It’s now common knowledge that one of the best ways to tackle the climate crisis is to plant trees, and Ecologi helps businesses to do just that. Select a subscription plan that suits your carbon footprint and grow your own company forest and fund other carbon-offsetting projects.
To date, Ecologi has helped businesses to plant over 6 million trees and works with a wide range of forest restoration projects across the globe.
Vinted
Vinted provides a more environmentally friendly way of consuming and extends the life of clothing items that would otherwise go to landfill. The second-hand marketplace is dedicated to promoting a mindful approach to consumption and is the much-needed antidote to today’s throwaway fast-fashion culture. The average household owns £4,000 worth of clothing, 30% of which have not been worn in the past year. It’s time to get some of that value back and have fun while doing it. Setting up a company Vinted account for staff to upload their own unwanted items is a great way to raise money for your company’s chosen charity – or to raise extra pennies in the kitty for the office party!
Riverford Foods
Is your office fruit basket looking a little uninspired and worse for wear? Then Riverford Foods is here to save your workplace wellness. Working with small-scale organic family farms that look after their soil and wildlife by farming respectfully and in tune with nature, Riverford Foods delivers a whole host of delicious fresh food straight to your office door. Keeping sustainability and climate action in mind from growing and packing to delivery, you’ll not online be receiving good food but supporting good farming practices too.
Dizzie (Formerly Good Club)
Dizzie is a zero waste supermarket, on a mission to build the world’s biggest sustainable grocery brand and could by the answer to keeping your office snack pantry filled up with sustainable brands in plastic-free packaging. With traditional supermarkets creating 900,000 tonnes of plastic waste per year, Dizzie is a brilliant alternative with mainstream appeal. It’s concept is simple: they send products in reusable packaging straight to your doorstep and collect it for cleaning and reuse!
BlaBlaCar
When you’re feeling less than motivated for your walk to work or are running late for your daily train commute, step away from the car keys and logon to BlaBlaCar instead. BlaBlaCar is the leading carpooling travel network with over 100 million members worldwide. Its goal is to fill empty seats on the road by connecting members looking to carpool and has saved a massive 1.6million tonnes of carbon emissions! Simply search for your destination and pick the carpool and enjoy a more affordable, social way of travelling.
Too Good To Go
Looking to snag an affordable lunch? Some of the largest brands have signed up to the Too Good To Go app to fight against food waste. Browse restaurants and shops selling food at a fraction of the cost and save it from going to waste. With more than ⅓ of food being wasted across the UK, by swapping your on-the-go lunches for a Magic Bag from Too Good To Go you can save yourself some serious cash while saving the planet from unnecessary emissions too!
Scrapp
We all want to do our bit for the environment, but with different rules in each local area it can be hard figuring out what you should – and shouldn’t – recycle. Luckily, Scrapp is here to help you recycle confidently. A free app that’s on a mission to stop recyclable material from ending up in landfill, Scrapp is a nifty tool that shows you how to sort your recycling into the right bin for your local rules. Just scan the barcode on the product you’re looking to recycle, and the app will tell you whether it’s locally recycled.
Small Steps Have a Big Impact
With the rising awareness of the climate crisis, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed to the point of inaction. However, change is possible, and even the smallest of steps can make a big difference.
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Written in collaboration with Naomi Couper
