A climate of collective action

Accessibility is a critical driver in scaling and speeding up climate action.  We investigate this further and celebrate the commitments our clients have made to play a part in addressing climate change collectively.

As governments around the world convene in Glasgow over the next fortnight to discuss the way forward in addressing climate change, the debate may not be around what can be done, but how quickly and how much.

The solutions are already there and from a market perspective, the change is happening.  There is growth in green financial instruments to channel investment into clean tech solutions (for example renewable energy, industrial electrification, forestry, green buildings, biofuels) and increasing institutional divestment from fossil fuels as green investment begins to yield higher long term financial return. 

Here at Oxygen Consulting we’ve seen an increasing number of companies seeking our carbon services to ensure they remain competitive.  Sustainability is not just about doing the right thing, it’s also about meeting customer, supplier or investor requirements.  There is a commercial imperative driving businesses to act which will be further enhanced as regulatory levers come into play over the next two years.

But is the scale and pace of action appropriate?  The latest science would tell us it is not.  A proportion of society would tell us it is not.  But therein lies the challenge – our collective problem must be faced collectively.

Most businesses could do more, but many businesses are also doing plenty.  The biggest challenges for businesses getting into sustainability are knowing where to start and the fear of getting it wrong.  While sustainability leaders like Allbirds and Patagonia have businesses built on sustainability at their foundation, ironically this can make sustainability seem more inaccessible for the bulk of businesses who are trying to retrofit it.

What about society?  The choices we make as consumers?  It’s easy to point the finger at others to do more – for businesses to develop the solutions, for government to come up with the policy - to make amends for our individual choices around travel, waste, food, and packaging.

As a society we are all sustainability hypocrites to some degree, but that is no reason not to give a damn or give up.  Make whatever effort you are comfortable with, but just make an effort.  The more the merrier, this is how we achieve scale.  Many hands make light work as the saying goes and that’s true enough for the collective action needed to address climate change, be it as individuals or businesses.

Accessibility is important if we want to address scale and pace.  You don’t need to be living in an off-grid eco house, growing your own vegetables, cycling everywhere and living a zero-waste lifestyle to be part of the movement.  Some people are exemplary on these things, most are not.  Similarly, businesses don’t need to be in green star rated premises, have entirely electric fleets driven by solar power, or zero waste systems to make a difference.  Again, some are exemplary, many are not.  But that’s ok, it is a journey of continuous improvement, and you have to start somewhere.

Sustainability is not about idealism; it is about bringing social and environmental balance into your life or your business in a practical way, aligning action with appetite.  The more accessible it is, the faster it will be adopted, en masse.

Three C’s act as gatekeepers to accessibility: cost; convenience; comparability. If being sustainable is too expensive, too inconvenient, or doesn’t deliver, it falls over.  Whether it’s the washing powder you are looking to replace with an eco-version, or the company fleet looking to be replaced with electric vehicles, these principles apply to any sustainable product, service or action and affect the scale and pace of potential uptake.

Therefore, we must ensure that being sustainable is accessible for everyone, regardless of budget, size of business, whether you want to toe-dip, or go all out.  All of it is good, all of it is needed.

Here at Oxygen Consulting this is a key focus.  We believe that one size does not fit all and the approach we take is very much tailored to the needs of the individual business and where it is seeking to make a difference.  We ground all our work with global standards, such as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and Science Based Targets Initiative, meaning that our clients can rest assured that whatever their appetite, they are getting robust guidance and the actions they are putting in place are meaningful.

With the global focus on the need for collective action, we thought it timely to celebrate the commitments our clients have made to address climate change and how this will make a difference collectively.

Over the past two years, 14 of Oxygen Consulting’s clients have committed to Scope 1 and 2 emissions targets that support a science-based pathway (this means keeping the increase in global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels; and to pursue efforts to limit the increase to 1.5°C).  This is aligned with the Paris Agreement, the international treaty on climate change signed by 189 governments in 2016.

Collectively, these clients are set to achieve a 1,727 tonne reduction in their greenhouse gas emissions by the end of 2025.  This is the equivalent emissions of taking more than 500 average petrol engine vehicles off the road for a year, or the same amount of emissions that powering 1,225 average homes for a year would produce.

Organisations of all sizes and sectors are seeking to make a difference – from large financial institutions to smaller motor vehicle repairers, our clients that have set targets include: AA Insurance; European Motor Distributors; OfficeMax; Stuff; Suncorp New Zealand; VTNZ; Westpac New Zealand; Mount Cook Alpine Salmon; Connect Interiors; Cooper Young Construction; Greenpark Panel and Paint; Phoenix Services; Rod Wood Collision Repair, and; Sun City Panel and Paint.

These organisations recognise the importance of taking action, monitoring progress and engaging others on the journey to help them achieve their targets.  In making their own commitment, they also understand the trickle-down effect this has on their supply chains and in collectively lifting the bar on their industry.

Several of our clients have put management plans in place and are making progress towards their targets. Some are just at the start of their journey, while others are already smashing their target early.  The common denominator is they are all doing something and they’re doing it now.  Collective action, big and small, is what we need for scale and pace, and we are proud of the steps our clients are taking to make a difference.

We are looking forward to sharing and celebrating their progress further as we work together to take action on climate change.

Photo credit: Jasper van der Meij