"Climate change will fundamentally reshape life on Earth"

"Climate change will fundamentally reshape life on Earth" - is your business prepared?

Russ Avery • Jun 25, 2021

Devastating climate impacts will hit us sooner than expected

In a leaked landmark draft report written by the UN's climate science advisors, the sobering consequences of humanity's greenhouse gas pollution is brought to life in terrifying detail.

Regardless of whether or not we manage to dramatically curb greenhouse gas emissions any time soon, the report warns that we must be prepared for devastating climate impacts including "species extinction, more widespread disease, unliveable heat, ecosystem collapse, and cities menaced by rising seas"*, among others. And these changes aren't 50+ years away; they are already happening and will only accelerate over the coming decades.

I am acutely aware that my own young children will live in a very different - perhaps almost unrecognisable? - world by the time they reach my current age of 37.

And so to the question in the title of this blog post: "Is your business prepared?"

*Source: https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210623-crushing-climate-impacts-to-hit-sooner-than-feared-draft-un-report

What can businesses do to prepare for a changing planet?

Well, perhaps I'm not asking the right question. Preparing for such huge changes to the world and the very way that society as we know it operates is, perhaps, an almost impossible task. Sure, we can make predictions based on the science, but we don't know exactly what will happen, when it will happen, and in which countries around the world. And the way a business can prepare for any changes will vary enormously depending on its size, sector and location.

"So what should we be doing then, Russ?!"

Put sustainability and regeneration at the very heart of your business strategy. And start today.

Yes, huge changes are already coming. But we are not doomed. Not yet. We can work as hard as we can and all pull together to try and avoid the worst case scenario.

Starting today, even if your business is currently doing nothing, you could set the wheels in motion to fundamentally change the way it operates by putting sustainability or, even better, regeneration, at the heart of your strategy. This is particularly easy to do if you are the founder-owner of a small or micro business; you can just get on with it. But don't be put off if you're an employee of a much bigger business. Yes, you will have to jump through more hoops and get the ear of the C Suite, but there are lots of great resources out there with advice on how to do this. (We are also going to produce some of our own, so stay tuned for those.)

Don't be afraid to get started - even if it seems like a tiny step

Honestly, don't worry if your business is currently doing very little or nothing at all about sustainability. Think of it as a blank canvas from which to start doing things really well from the get go. You have the advantage of being able to take inspiration from - our just copy outright - what other businesses which are further along on their journeys have done - whether it's a tiny business like Avery & Brown, or a huge multinational.

We have been sharing every step of our own regenerative business journey for two main reasons:

1. To demonstrate complete transparency, authenticity and honesty - which are all fundamental to operating a better business.

2. So that other businesses can learn from us, take inspiration from us, and copy us. Knowledge sharing and collaboration is absolutely vital to tackling the climate crisis.

"I need some specific pointers. Where should I start?"

There are so many steps you could take to begin your sustainable or regenerative business journey, but here are some of the best places to start, in my opinion:

Measure your emissions. If you don't know what your current carbon emissions or greenhouse gas emissions are, you can't make a proper plan to reduce them. And reducing our emissions is something every business needs to take seriously. (You will have heard a lot of talk recently about net zero strategies - this is what they are talking about - the journey to net zero emissions.) And don't forget - if this is a daunting task and you have no idea how to start, then there are plenty of sustainability and environmental consultancies out there who can help you. Yes, this will cost more, but you'll be safe in the knowledge that it has been done thoroughly and accurately, and they'll also probably help you with the next step - see below.

Reduce your emissions. Now that you know what your business emissions are (ideally try and look at Scope 1, 2 and 3 - you'll find lots of info about this online) you can implement a plan to reduce them. Again, this will look different for every business depending on size and sector. If you're a small business like us, you might find that walking or cycling to your office a few times per week has a huge impact on your overall emissions reduction. If you're a bigger business which purchases a lot of items, you might find that looking at your suppliers and putting a better procurement plan in place to buy less and buy from local sustainable suppliers whenever possible is the thing which has the biggest impact.

Build a team of fellow sustainability advocates. Get as many colleagues on board as possible so that you're not fighting this battle alone. There is definitely strength in numbers. If one person in a larger company tries to get their boss to listen to them about taking sustainability seriously, it could well be very difficult. If it's a whole department or a large percentage of the whole workforce who are approaching the boss, they are going to have to start paying attention.

Think about people as well as planet. Remember that 'sustainability' isn't just about environmental issues. You should also be thinking about social and governance issues. (These are the S and G in 'ESG' which stands for Environmental, Social and Governance criteria, which are - thankfully - becoming increasingly important to investors and other business stakeholders across a range of sectors.) Start thinking about your own company's policies and procedures. Is employee welfare being given due attention? Think about what you could do as a business to support your local community and/or a local charity.

Take the quick wins and easy actions too. An example of this is signing petitions. Just because it only takes you 30 seconds, it doesn't mean that you should write it off as something not worth doing or which won't make any difference. We need to use our voices however we can, and if that means signing an environmental or social related petition to help it get the required number of signatures for it to be discussed in Parliament, then you should be all for it! At Avery & Brown we will always sign any petition we come across which fits with our vision for a healthier planet for all species. After all - why wouldn't we? It takes a matter of seconds and it could make a real difference.

There you go, those are just a few ideas to help you get started in some way and to make the beginning of your journey seem less a bit less daunting. Remember, it may be a cliché, but taking the first step is often the hardest part. We are only 9 weeks into our regenerative business journey in earnest, and we already feel like we are in a state of flow, whereby every decision we make takes #OperationRegeneration into account - whether it's something big like taking on a new client or something small like needing to buy some new office supplies.

Make sure you read the article we linked to at the top of this post, and share it with your boss and your colleagues if you think that will help. Please don't hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions about our journey or your own. We are genuinely happy to help you however we can! We are all in this together and time is running out - we need all the positive action we can get.

The best way to follow our journey is to follow me on LinkedIn where I publish a #regenerativebusiness post every Friday (or sometimes a Saturday morning), follow our company page, and stay tuned here on Outpost.

Finally, if this post inspires you in any way and you end up taking some positive steps after reading it, please do let us know - that would really make our day! Plus, we want to be there to support you and cheer you on!

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