Empowering employees to deliver Net Zero

As the world grapples with the realities of climate change, the urgency to transition to a low-carbon economy has never been more pressing. Extreme weather events, rising temperatures, and ecosystem degradation serve as undeniable indicators of the need for swift action. For businesses and organisations committed to a regenerative future, reducing carbon emissions is an essential first step.

However, simply calculating carbon footprints and setting ambitious reduction targets won’t be enough; we need a deeper, more widespread understanding – carbon literacy – to get widespread buy-in and ensure that all employees feel both responsible and empowered to deliver the carbon reduction actions required.

The role of carbon footprinting in moving towards a regenerative future

The first step in any decarbonisation plan is calculating base year emissions and identifying carbon hotspots. Without this foundational knowledge, organisations lack clear direction for action. Calculating emissions not only helps prioritise areas of focus but also serves as a baseline for tracking progress. This makes understanding your organisation’s carbon footprint a non-negotiable starting point on the path to decarbonisation.

However, achieving a regenerative future requires more than just reducing carbon emissions. Carbon footprinting provides essential insights but must be part of a broader approach that also addresses wider economic and ecological regeneration. At Useful Projects, we see this initial step as foundational, yet only one part of the systemic change needed.

Key considerations and challenges for organisations

For organisations embarking on their net zero journey, the challenges can be complex and varied. But once base year emissions are calculated, certain challenges remain consistent across all sectors and sizes.

Securing senior leadership buy in

Securing senior leadership buy-in for a net zero strategy is crucial because it ensures that the commitment to decarbonisation is factored into strategic decisions, business planning and operational delivery. When senior leaders champion net zero, it signals to all employees and stakeholders that sustainability is a core priority, not just a peripheral goal. It is essential to get resources allocated for decarbonisation initiatives, and to ensure that targets are both ambitious and achievable. It also ensures that carbon reduction is embedded into the organisation’s long-term strategy. Moreover, senior leader engagement is important for driving wider cultural change, fostering an environment where everyone is motivated to contribute to achieving net zero, making the strategy more effective and resilient. From board-level mentoring to senior leadership engagement sessions, we support buy-in for net zero delivery at the highest levels.

Setting ambitious carbon reduction targets

Setting ambitious carbon reduction targets is non-negotiable. At Useful Projects, we recommend aligning these targets with Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) guidelines as a minimum, ensuring they cover all emissions scopes—direct (Scope 1), indirect (Scope 2), and across the value chain (Scope 3). Ideally, targets should be submitted for approval. At the very least, aligning with up-to-date guidance ensures that targets are credible and future-proof. Deviation from these guidelines should only occur when supported by a strong, methodologically sound rationale.

Enabling and empowering wider employee engagement

If we are going to deliver net zero, we need to both enable and empower employees to tap into the collective effort and innovation of the entire workforce. An effective net zero strategy needs to be tailored to the specific needs of the organisation, so by engaging employees at all levels they become active participants, identifying opportunities for improvement and implementing practical solutions in their day-to-day work. Empowered employees are also more likely to embrace and advocate for sustainable practices, leading to a culture of shared responsibility and continuous improvement. Alongside senior leadership buy in, wider employee engagement accelerates progress towards net zero by ensuring that the strategy is deeply rooted in the organisation’s DNA.

Calculating your footprint: the beginning of a continuous journey

For many organisations, particularly those just starting their net zero journey, the task of calculating base year emissions can feel daunting. However, this calculation is not the end goal but the first step in a much longer process. After establishing a baseline, organisations must tackle the critical challenges of setting ambitious targets, securing senior leadership buy-in, and engaging employees at all levels to craft and execute actionable carbon reduction plans.

The key to successfully navigating this journey lies in building a strong foundation of carbon literacy within the organisation. Progress toward net zero requires more than just data; it demands a deep, organisation-wide understanding of the steps necessary to reduce emissions. By upskilling, empowering, and engaging teams, organisations can ensure that every member understands their role in this critical effort.

In our work with clients, we leverage our “Get Set Zero” tool, which not only facilitates engagement with the underlying data and calculations but also deepens understanding of emission sources. We complement this with essential carbon literacy upskilling, providing tailored one-hour “lunch n learns” and formal Carbon Literacy Training, ensuring that client teams are fully equipped to drive their net zero strategies forward.

Leading by example: our commitment to Net Zero

At Useful Projects, we also practice what we preach. As part of the Useful Simple Trust, we are members of the Race to Zero initiative. Our science-based targets, approved by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) in July 2022, include a target of 46% reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 2030 from a 2020 baseline. We are also a Silver Carbon Literate Organisation, aiming to achieve Gold by 2025.

We stay ahead of emerging guidance by continuously monitoring policy updates and best practices, ensuring that our decarbonisation strategies remain aligned with the latest standards. This proactive approach not only future proofs our own plans but also allows us to provide clients with cutting-edge, effective guidance.

Avoiding carbon tunnel vision

While reducing carbon emissions is a critical step in addressing the climate crisis, we must be careful to avoid ‘carbon tunnel vision’ – the exclusive focus on carbon at the expense of other environmental and social impacts. A truly regenerative approach requires consideration of broader ecological challenges, including biodiversity loss, resource depletion, and ecosystem degradation, alongside addressing inequities in access to essentials like food, water, healthcare, and education.

We raise awareness of these broader issues and encourage our clients to adopt frameworks like the Circular Economy, linking carbon reduction with broader sustainability goals. By exploring concepts like embodied carbon (the emissions tied to the production, transportation, and disposal of materials), clients can gain a fuller understanding of the environmental impact of their actions. This holistic approach ensures that organisations tackle both carbon emissions and other critical issues such as biodiversity loss and resource consumption.

Practical steps towards achieving Net Zero

For organisations looking to accelerate their journey toward net zero, we recommend the following steps:

1. Calculate and understand your baseline: Knowing your carbon footprint is the first step, but it’s equally important to build the capacity to understand and act on that data.
2. Improve carbon literacy: Empower your employees by building their knowledge and understanding. This ensures the whole organisation is engaged and aligned with your carbon reduction goals.
3. Engage senior leaders and wider employees: Senior leaders are vital to deliver effective decarbonisation strategies, but don’t forget that your employees know your organisation best. Their insights and ideas can be crucial in co-developing practical carbon reduction strategies.
4. Collaborate widely: Some of the most significant carbon hotspots lie beyond your direct control. Building partnerships across your supply chain and with stakeholders is essential.
5. Communicate openly and transparently: Share your climate reduction goals, progress, and challenges. Transparency builds trust and encourages broader engagement with your efforts.

By embedding carbon literacy and employee engagement into the heart of their strategy, organisations can move beyond simply calculating emissions to creating meaningful, long-lasting change.

We remain committed to supporting businesses on this journey – helping them not just measure carbon but understand it, so they can act on it in ways that contribute to a truly regenerative future.

If you’d like to find out more about how we could help your organisation, please get in touch.