Small businesses can be carbon neutral too

Small businesses can be carbon neutral too

Becoming a carbon neutral business isn’t just great for the environment, it’s a fantastic way for your business to show customers and potential customers how much you care for the world around you.

Plus, it’s not as hard as you might think. Conquest Consultancy has taken just that step and decided to offset its carbon emissions with a commitment to plant trees in Nairobi. Managing director Dan Adams said: “Climate change is the most urgent topic of our time. We are in a now-or-never situation, which requires us to take immediate action.”

Here, he gives five ways he learnt that will help small businesses to become carbon neutral:

• Know your baseline – using a calculator from a website such as DEFRA you should be able to work out the value of your carbon footprint. This will take into account your travel, energy use and so on.
• Plan for the long term – becoming carbon neutral isn’t a quick fix and it doesn’t happen overnight. Instead take a look at taking actions that will make an impact for the foreseeable future and not just knee-jerk reactions.
• But look for the quick fixes – limiting how much you print is an easy fix and one can that can be implemented fairly quickly. Move over to digital file keeping and green up your office use of paper.
• Hearts and minds – without the support of your whole team, it’s going to be next to impossible to implement real change. Talk to your teams, get them on board not just because they have to but because they believe in it as much as you.
• Get hold of a project – this might be anything from tree planting in Africa to investing in recycling projects in a developing country. Get behind a cause and you’ll see your business win plaudits from customers and staff alike.

About Conquest Consultancy

A digital marketing agency that aims to take the stress of managing social media away from small business owners, Conquest Consultancy offers an honest and transparent approach, tailored to each client. From face-to-face meetings, Conquest Consultancy ensures that content is optimal, engaging, reaching a new, vitalised audience to empower a company’s voice and goals for growth. Find them on Instagram @conquestsocial.