Looking for something?
To search, start typing and hit enter.
How you can take action
Navigate through the sections below to find guidance, tips and resources designed to inspire action.
Take meaningful action to make your business more environmentally and socially responsible.
The following actions are a starting point for your sustainable business. These actions will help you to:
- Reduce your carbon footprint and environmental impact
- Improve customer/client perception
- Meet legal net zero and sustainability requirements
- Attract and retain the best employees
- Reduce costs
Energy
Switching to renewable energy sources and improving energy efficiency reduces your carbon emissions and can save you money on your energy bills.
- Switch to a renewable energy tariff with your provider
- Investigate the potential for installing solar panels on your site
- Educate staff on good energy efficiency practices, like switching equipment off when not in use
- Switch to LED lights and install automatic lighting or occupancy sensors
- Look into green building accreditation such as BREEAM or passivhaus
Travel
Rethink the way your staff and customers get around to decrease your carbon footprint and improve air quality
- Support staff walking and cycling, by subsidising bicycle purchases, providing bike racks or shower facilities.
- Upgrade your fleet to electric vehicles
- Install EV charging facilities for staff and customers
- Increase flexibility with home working and online meetings where possible to reduce travel
- Encourage car sharing when travel is required
Waste
Use the waste hierarchy to prioritise reducing, reuse and recycling, minimising your resource consumption and waste going to landfill
- Separate food waste for collection
- Become a paperless office
- Donate or sell waste materials rather than sending to landfill
- Cleanse and donate old electronic equipment
- Stop buying single use plastics
Biodiversity
Have positive impacts on air quality and mental well-being as well as the environment by taking action to improve local biodiversity
- Integrate green space or new habitats into your sites with a green wall or roof
- Provide staff volunteer days for litter picks or tree planting
- Install bird/bat boxes to encourage wildlife on your site
- Use grey water/harvested water for grounds maintenance
- End use of pesticides and peat products.
Social Sustainability
Build a business which does good for local people, with an inclusive and motivated workforce
- Develop a sustainable procurement or social value policy
- Encourage recruitment from all sectors of society, using blind CV reviews
- Set requirements regarding ethical labour practices of outsourced staff/service providers
- Source as much as possible from local, diverse suppliers
Finances
Use your money for good, ensuring where and how you spend has positive environmental and social outcomes
- Bank with a BCorp or Member of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values
- Pay the Real Living Wage to all employees
- Ensure pension investments are environmentally and socially responsible
Governance
Demonstrate your commitment to sustainability by being a transparent, ethical and accountable organisation
- Include sustainability or environmental/social action in your mission statement
- Ensure a diverse board with stakeholder representation
- Integrate social and environmental performance into all decision making
- Be transparent and share your sustainability progress publicly
Resources
A suite of resources for urban policymakers and change-makers.
We have even more resources available, from case studies to downloadable guides.
Need some advice?
We're here to help. Get in touch if you'd like some help and advice for taking sustainability action.
Contact us
