The 10 Most Empowering Women in Business, 2021

upstream activities including raw material and agricultural
production.
There are some relatively simple changes you can
implement that reduce your emissions significantly across
scopes 1-3. The most impactful easy changes include:
Ÿ Switching to a green energy provider
Ÿ Switching to an ethical bank
Ÿ Dropping beef from staff canteen/entertainment menus
Ÿ
Ÿ
Prioritising sourcing from sustainable suppliers
Reducing the need for business travel and commuting
(such as via remote working policies).
How does being sustainable impact sales?
This is where it starts to get really interesting.
Consumers and businesses prioritise eco-friendly,
sustainable goods and services (and are often willing to pay
more).
Ÿ British consumers would each be willing to pay £3,654
more a year for eco-friendly household goods and
services. - Independent
Ÿ Since the pandemic, 60% of people report making more
environmentally-friendly purchases. Accenture added
that nine out of 10 of that percentage said they were
likely to continue doing so - Accenture
Ÿ UK vegan sales tripled since lockdown, showing a
rapidly growing trend of conscious eating habits that are
strongly correlated with sustainable lifestyle changes -
BBC
Ÿ B2B pay up to 20% higher prices for sustainable
suppliers - Harvard Business Review
With more businesses committing to Net Zero targets we
are starting to see compound and network effects affecting
purchasing decisions across both B2B and B2C. Demand is
up. Being sustainable is a competitive advantage.
In my own experience running ZeroSmart, a UK social
enterprise that helps businesses achieve their Net Zero goals
via carbon offsetting, we have seen our partner businesses
achieve both higher prices and increased demand after
working with us.
strongly. A comprehensive sustainability strategy is
critically important to attracting top talent.
Sustainability is not just a millennial concern, 83% of
employees report that they would be more loyal to a
company that helps them contribute to social and
environmental issues. The performance of your current and
future workforce will improve due to your sustainability
strategy.
How much does it cost?
Offsetting your workforce - typically the largest source of
pollution - can cost as little as £8 per employee per month
with services like ZeroSmart. This is an effective solution
open to businesses of all sizes, with no minimum or
maximum headcount necessary to benefit.
And the best bit? These kinds of investments are usually tax
deductible. While you should consult your accountant first,
it is likely that any business undertaking this expenditure
will obtain a business benefit in the promotion of the
business, and therefore it is likely to be a tax deductible
expense for most trading businesses.
Conclusion
Carbon offsetting should be a part of your sustainability
strategy if you wish to achieve your Net Zero goals in the
most efficient way and to remain competitive. Doing good
is good for business - by being sustainable you can attract
better talent, improve customer perception, and significantly
increase your profits.
Organisations like ZeroSmart help you to reduce your
business’s carbon footprint in a simple, cost-efficient
manner through carbon offsetting. Finalists for
‘Sustainability Entrepreneur of the Year’ at this year’s Great
British Entrepreneur Awards, ZeroSmart is a subscription
service for your business that finds and funds tree planting
and scientific climate solutions for you.
Find out more at
www.zerosmart.co.uk/business
Talent acquisition and retention
People like to work with good people doing good things.
Three-quarters of the millennial workforce prioritizes
sustainability over other factors when choosing a job. By
2025, Millennials (those born between ~1980 and 2000) are
forecast to comprise 75 percent of the global workforce.
Gen Z, the generation after millennials, feels even more
28 | July 2021 www.insightssuccess.com