Sustainability: business, life, environment

With climate change legislation and policy discussions looking to come to a head later this year, the business world is actively evaluating the impact on industries as a whole and on individual companies.  Businesses, both large and small, are in active inquiry regarding their strategies to address energy consumption and emissions.

Leading companies around the globe are taking proactive action to address their footprint.  Effective business sustainability strategies are considering energy consumption and emissions, from both direct and indirect sources.  As part of this effort, companies are assessing their internal and supply chain emissions to gage the potential risks and opportunities across their operations and the industry.

Today, Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions are being consider across the entire value chain  and can be viewed from two distinct view points: direct and indirect.  Most companies are already actively working on the emissions that are within their direct control.  These emissions come from the company’s internal operations. 

Corporate strategies must also consider indirect emissions controlled by third parties.   These may include products and services that are acquired with a large footprint.  A  2008 McKinsey study noted, between 40 and 60 percent of manufacturers’ carbon footprints often lie in their supply chains. Our small business resources are currently exploring the impacts of internal operations and supply chains through the following strategies:

•    Reduce Energy Consumption – the reduction of energy and fuel consumption is a key component of a sustainable business strategy to reduce emissions.  Our professional consulting evaluates long-term commitments to reduction at the source across a entire product lifecycles.

•    Replace Fossil Fuels with Renewable Energy – Many companies are switching to ‘green’ energy sources to reduce their emissions.  There are a number of easy ways to switch to renewable energy.

•    Offset Emissions – For businesses with less flexibility at the source, offsetting is a concept of funding an equivalent emission reduction elsewhere.  This allows any business the ability to support emission reduction.

With legislative impacts on the horizon, it has become critical for many companies to have a comprehensive business sustainability program in place.  We encourage businesses to  evaluate both their direct and indirect exposure.   Taiga Company has professional consulting and small business resources working with clients to identify business sustainability strategies to reduce emissions.