How can companies reduce their carbon footprint?

In the fight against climate change, the industrial sector is often viewed as part of the problem – and not without reason. The start of the industrial revolution about 250 years ago coincided with a massive increase in the emission of greenhouse gases. 

As a result of burning fossil fuels and deforestation, the atmospheric CO2 concentration, a key long-term contributor to climate change, has increased by one-third since then.     

In recent years, however, many companies have decided to become part of the solution. They have realized that a business carbon footprint reduction is not just the right thing to do but it’s also good for business.

Not only can climate-friendly equipment lower operating costs. Consumers and employees expect companies to step up, and increasingly stringent government mandates make going green a logical choice. In fact, companies refusing to take this step will probably end up paying a steep price later.  
 

But how can businesses become more ecological and reduce carbon dioxide emissions? 

Fortunately, there are lots of different ways. Some are easy, others more challenging. Some are inexpensive, others require an upfront investment that will later be recovered. 

One thing every company can do is to eliminate waste. That includes small things like not turning up the heat as much in the winter. Or making sure that all lights are switched off when they are not needed.
It also means limiting the number of printouts or replacing disposable cups with reusable ones. Start to separate waste and recycle it as much as possible. 

Communication is key in this area. Company executives can make all the decisions they want in a boardroom, but it won’t matter unless employees implement them. The most meaningful changes can only be achieved if everybody works together. Writing up a company’s environmental and energy policies and goals is very helpful in this regard.

In terms of equipment, energy recovery solutions offer smart ways to re-use waste heat. For example, as much as 90% of the electrical energy used by a compressed air system is converted into heat. Using energy recovery systems, you can recover much (up to 94%) of that power input as hot air or hot water

When it comes to achieving a carbon footprint reduction, a useful first step is to measure a company’s total greenhouse gas emissions and determine where the CO2 emissions come from. An independent, certified auditor can carry out an energy audit. This will help businesses find out how they use energy, where they are wasting it, and where improvements will have the greatest effect. For example, many companies do not have strategies in place that maximize their energy usage when their production fluctuates. They waste too much energy when they are not running at full capacity. 

Transportation is a major contributor to emissions. So an effective way of achieving a carbon footprint reduction is to encourage employees to use public transportation or to carpool. This can be done by subsidizing their transit passes or providing other incentives. 

Companies should also aim to reduce air travel as much as possible. For shorter distances, employees should consider using trains, and, whenever possible, meetings should be held online. 

The use of alternative energies is another effective way of achieving a carbon footprint reduction.Those could be either electricity produced with photovoltaic systems or purchased from providers who use renewable energy sources.