Developing a Climate Change Policy

With incentives to maintain a environmentally sound attitude coming from many quarters it makes sense to adopt a Climate Change Policy for your company. Pressure from customers, the government (in the form of the climate change levy, which is a tax applied to businesses carbon emissions), employees and from the community at large, as well as the incentive to cut fuel consumption in order to save money make climate change an issue too big to address casually.

There is no doubt that the pressures outlined above will not dissipate and will probably grow over time. Failure to implement some sort of climate change plan could be catastrophic for both the environment and your company. However small or large your company is, acting now is the only way to proceed as any lost time means losing ground on your competitors, whilst the environment may continue to suffer in a worsening snowball effect.

Formulating a Plan

The first thing to do is to raise the issue of climate change with all employees at the first available opportunity. If you have a small company this will be relatively easily – the issue can be addressed at a regular meeting. If you have a bigger company you will need to use the usual infrastructure to ensure that your message is got across on all levels. Be sure to communicate personally with each employee – blanket e-mails are one thing, but also having each employee talk to their line manager will help the message to sink in.

Once you have got people thinking about their work and climate change you can help to formulate a Climate Change policy with the feedback of employees. Note employee concerns and aspirations, being sure to draw up a policy around them that addresses the overall consensus, whilst treating the issue with the seriousness accorded to it.

In formulating a policy it helps to have written some simple numbered or bulleted guidelines: A few main points should highlighting your desire to operate efficiently with respect to all aspects of your work, to avoid waste and to be at the forefront of education, training and technology regarding your industry and climate change should suffice. It would help to then have this policy in writing where it can be seen by all employees. Display this plan in a communal area – next to the obligatory health and safety information notice would be ideal, highlighting the fact that this is a welfare as well as financial issue.

The aim of this plan should be to make environmental planning second nature and a first principle of business planning: i.e. good business means good environmental planning. In this way you may be become known not only for the excellence of the products you offer but also for the fact that you are a leader in your field in regard to environmental awareness. You achieve this you have not only an entitlement, but also a responsibility to shout it from the rooftops, thus drawing a whole new customer base from those who need the kind of services you offer but are also concerned about climate change.

The carbon trust have information packs and educational material to help your company address global warming and can be reached on: 0800 085 2005,