What is a Business Carbon Footprint?

A business carbon footprint is the amount of greenhouse gases produced by a business through its everyday activities. These gases contribute to climate change, and the emissions associated with a business can come from many different sources.

For example, running an office, heating a workplace, travelling for work, delivering products and buying materials can all contribute to your business’s carbon footprint.

The good news is that reducing your business’s carbon footprint does not have to be complicated. Small changes to the way your business operates can help reduce emissions, save money and make better use of resources.

Whether you run a small office, a shop or a growing company, there are practical steps you can take to make your business more environmentally friendly.

1. Reduce Energy Use in your Workplace

Energy is an easy place to start when looking for ways to reduce your business’s carbon footprint.

Electricity and heating are part of everyday business operations, but there are often opportunities to use less energy without affecting how your business runs.

Here are a few simple changes to consider:

• Switch to LED lighting. LED bulbs use less electricity than traditional bulbs and generally last longer.
• Turn off unused equipment. Switch off lights, computers and other equipment when they are not needed, rather than leaving them running unnecessarily.
• Review your heating. Avoid heating empty rooms and check that your heating controls are set appropriately.
• Improve insulation. Where possible, reduce heat loss through draughts, windows and doors.
• Choose energy efficient equipment. When replacing office equipment or appliances, consider how much energy they use.

These changes can help reduce energy consumption and may also lower your business’s electricity and heating bills.

2. Make Business Travel More Sustainable

Travel can contribute to your business’s carbon footprint, particularly if employees regularly drive to meetings, visit customers or commute to work.

You may not be able to eliminate business travel completely, but there are ways to reduce its impact.

Consider whether meetings can take place online instead of requiring everyone to travel. For journeys that do need to happen in person, public transport, walking, cycling or car sharing may be suitable alternatives.

If your business operates a fleet of vehicles, you could also consider more fuel efficient vehicles when it is time to replace them.

Even reviewing how often employees travel and whether journeys can be combined can help reduce unnecessary mileage.

3. Reduce Waste and Reuse More

The resources your business buys and throws away can also contribute to its carbon footprint. Manufacturing, transporting and disposing of products all require resources and energy.

Reducing waste can therefore be a useful part of your business’s environmental efforts.

Some simple ways to get started include:

• Reduce paper use. Store documents digitally where practical and avoid printing emails or documents unnecessarily.
• Reuse packaging. Reuse suitable boxes, envelopes and packaging materials rather than buying new ones every time.
• Recycle correctly. Make recycling facilities available and check which materials your local waste provider accepts.
• Avoid unnecessary purchases. Before ordering new supplies, check whether existing stock can be used first.
• Choose reusable products. Where practical, replace disposable items with alternatives that can be used repeatedly.

Reducing waste can also help your business save money by making better use of the materials it already has.

4. Choose Suppliers Carefully

Your business’s carbon footprint does not stop at your own workplace. The products and services you purchase can also have an environmental impact.

For example, buying office supplies, packaging, equipment or raw materials creates emissions through manufacturing and transportation.

You can start addressing this by considering the environmental impact of your purchasing decisions.

When choosing suppliers, you could ask whether they have plans to reduce their environmental impact, look for products made with recycled materials or consider suppliers closer to your business where this makes practical sense.

It is also worth reviewing what you already buy. Could you purchase longer lasting products, reduce packaging or avoid ordering more stock than you need?

You do not have to change every supplier at once. Making more informed purchasing decisions over time can help your business reduce the impact of its operations.

5. Measure your Business’s Carbon Footprint

If you want to reduce your business’s carbon footprint, it helps to understand where your emissions come from in the first place.

Start by looking at the information you already have, such as electricity and gas bills, business mileage, travel expenses, waste collections and purchasing records.

This can help you identify which activities are likely to contribute most to your emissions and where changes could make the biggest difference.

For a small business, this might mean reviewing energy use, checking how much employees drive for work or looking at the materials and services you purchase.

You do not need to calculate everything perfectly on your first attempt. Start with the information available to you, identify areas for improvement and build a clearer picture over time.

Once you have a starting point, you can set realistic goals and review your progress. For example, you might aim to reduce electricity use, cut unnecessary business journeys or purchase less single use packaging.

Measuring your carbon footprint also makes it easier to understand whether your changes are having the intended effect.

6. Consider Carbon Offsetting

Even after making changes to reduce emissions, some activities may still contribute to your business’s carbon footprint.

Carbon offsetting is one option businesses can consider alongside their efforts to reduce emissions.

It involves supporting projects that reduce, remove or avoid greenhouse gas emissions to compensate for emissions produced elsewhere. The impact depends on the type of project and how its results are measured and verified.

Examples of projects include restoring forests, planting trees and supporting renewable energy initiatives.

It is important to remember that offsetting is not a replacement for reducing your own emissions. The first step should be to identify where your business can cut its environmental impact, then consider whether offsetting could form part of a wider sustainability plan.

For small businesses, accessible options can make it easier to take an additional step without committing to a large programme.

At eTrees, businesses can purchase carbon credits without a contract, monthly payments or a minimum purchase requirement. Each eTrees credit represents 1.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO₂e), helping businesses take action in line with their sustainability goals.

7. Set Realistic Goals and Track your Progress

Reducing your business’s carbon footprint is an ongoing process rather than a one time task.

Once you have identified areas for improvement, choose a few realistic goals that fit your business and its budget.

For example, you could aim to:

• Reduce electricity consumption over the next 12 months.
• Cut unnecessary business travel.
• Reduce the amount of waste sent for disposal.
• Review the environmental practices of key suppliers.
• Measure your carbon footprint annually and monitor changes.

Keep track of what you have changed and review your progress regularly. If something is not working as expected, you can adjust your approach.

It is better to make steady, measurable improvements than to set ambitious targets that are difficult to maintain.

As your business grows, you can build on these first steps and look for further opportunities to reduce emissions.

We’re Here to Help Your Business.

eTrees was set up by medium sized business owners who struggled to find a straightforward way to reduce their business’s carbon footprint.

While there are plenty of ways to reduce your environmental impact, some emissions can be difficult to avoid completely. That’s where eTrees can help.

Reduce where you can, offset where you can’t.

Our pay as you go platform makes carbon offsetting simple and accessible for businesses of all sizes. No contracts, no monthly fees and no minimum purchases. Just straightforward carbon offsetting, whenever your business needs it.

Visit eTrees to find out more.