Our chief marketing & people officer Ben Buckton, who will be attending this year’s Anthropy, on how the climate emergency is everyone’s business.
As a group, we strongly believe in using business as a force for good.
Over the past few years, we have been taking an ever-stronger position on sustainability – submitting an application to become a B Corporation and backing the Better Business Act. In addition, we have committed to 30 ambitious responsible business pledges, including becoming carbon negative by 2030, and increasing the use of sustainably-sourced or recycled office supplies and furniture.
However, we know we cannot do this alone – the climate emergency has to be everyone’s problem. Businesses must accept that fighting against ecocide is a fundamental part of their job.
Not only is tackling the climate crisis the right thing to do for the planet and society, it is also the commercial thing to do. It simply makes business sense. Besides the environmental benefits, the other incentives include more efficient operations and lower operating costs.
Failing to address carbon emissions is also risky commercially. Those companies who do not act to mitigate climate risks will find it difficult to adapt and thrive. People are expecting companies to be climate leaders, so reputation is at risk if the urgency of the climate emergency is not adequately addressed. Furthermore, in order for the UK to achieve its climate commitments it is likely that carbon emissions could be taxed and regulated in the future, which could put company profit and future valuations at risk.
Set short, medium and long-term goals by which your business will radically reduce its overall carbon footprint, embed the climate emergency into your strategy, and socialise the issue within your organisation to ensure there is a shared understanding of its urgency. As a group, we clearly set out our ambitions and publically stated them.
Ampa has committed to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2030. As part of our recognition of our existing environmental impact, we will are offsetting our carbon emissions from 2019 – our benchmark year – until we achieve our net-zero target. We have selected a range of carbon-offset programmes, which will also help us achieve our ambition of supporting social development. In addition, we will also be investing in biodiversity through tree planting and environmental volunteering projects, selected by our responsible business champions and working with clients.
When it comes down to it, the impact of language cannot be underestimated in educating and convincing as many people as possible to make a difference and fight against the climate crisis. It is only together – collaborating and cooperating across typical competitive divides – that we can make a real change.
I would urge you to communicate what your business is doing; how and why is vital to spreading the word. Use stronger language to convey the magnitude of the crisis – climate change, for example, seems too gentle when facing a direct existential threat – and, as ever with great communication, make sure to keep things simple.
The climate emergency is everyone’s business and we have to be active participants – cannot just wait around. It is happening right now.
To find out more about Anthropy, please visit here.