How do you prioritize carbon-intensive activities in your business?

2 Conduct a carbon audit

A carbon audit is a systematic process of collecting and analyzing data on your greenhouse gas emissions from different sources and activities. You can use tools such as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, the Carbon Disclosure Project, or the Environmental Defense Fund to help you calculate and report your carbon footprint. A carbon audit will help you identify the most carbon-intensive activities in your business, as well as the opportunities and risks associated with them. You can also benchmark your performance against your peers, industry standards, or best practices.

3 Prioritize your actions

Once you have a clear picture of your carbon footprint, you can prioritize your actions based on their potential impact, feasibility, and cost-effectiveness. You can use a matrix or a scorecard to rank your activities according to different criteria, such as emission reduction potential, payback period, return on investment, stakeholder expectations, or regulatory compliance. You can also consider the co-benefits or trade-offs of your actions, such as energy savings, waste reduction, customer satisfaction, or social responsibility.

4 Implement your plan

After you have prioritized your actions, you need to implement them in a systematic and transparent way. You can use a project management approach to assign roles and responsibilities, allocate resources, set timelines and milestones, and monitor and evaluate your progress. You can also use a communication strategy to inform and engage your internal and external stakeholders, such as employees, customers, suppliers, investors, or regulators. You can use channels such as newsletters, reports, websites, or social media to share your goals, actions, results, and challenges.

5 Review and improve

Finally, you need to review and improve your performance on a regular basis. You can use indicators and metrics to measure your outcomes and impacts, such as emission reduction, cost savings, revenue growth, or customer loyalty. You can also use feedback and learning mechanisms to identify and address any gaps, barriers, or opportunities for improvement. You can use tools such as surveys, audits, reviews, or workshops to collect and analyze data, insights, and best practices. You can also use standards and certifications to verify and validate your achievements, such as ISO 14064, LEED, or B Corp.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?