As the sustainability movement in promo gains momentum, more and more firms are announcing plans to go carbon-neutral – or even carbon-negative – by set dates.

Top 40 distributor Corporate Imaging Concepts (asi/168962), for example, announced late last year that its operations are on target to reach carbon neutrality by 2025 and that it’s aiming for carbon-negative status by 2030. In February, Top 40 supplier Koozie Group (asi/40480) pledged that it would be carbon-neutral on Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by the end of 2024. Supplier ChicoBag (asi/44811) and distributor Better by Bluestar (asi/141977) are among the companies that have been certified by Climate Neutral, an independent nonprofit that uses a three-step certification and measurement process developed around peer-reviewed standards.

But what exactly is climate neutrality, and how does a company go about achieving that goal? Essentially, climate neutrality is the idea of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions – balancing out the amount of harmful gases being released into the atmosphere with the amount that are removed through the planet’s natural absorption. The term is similar to carbon neutrality, but it goes beyond efforts to reduce CO2 emissions to include reduction of other harmful gases, like methane and nitrous oxide.

Businesses typically refer to emissions as Scope 1, 2 or 3, with many companies choosing to focus primarily on the first two, at least initially.

• Scope 1 emissions are direct greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that occur from sources controlled or owned by an organization. Think company vehicles and equipment.

• Scope 2 emissions are indirect ones associated with purchased electricity, heating and cooling.

• Scope 3, sometimes called “value chain emissions,” often represent the majority of a company’s GHG emissions. These are all other indirect emissions that occur up and down a brand’s value chain, from factories and suppliers down to customers.

As you start to focus in on reducing your company’s carbon footprint, it’s important to set a baseline for where your current emissions lie and to measure the impact made by each of the changes you implement – both for your own knowledge and so you can be transparent about your progress when talking with clients. Here are five steps you can take to help reduce your GHG emissions.

1

Use renewable energy sources.

Consider installing solar panels or wind turbines at your facility. If that’s not feasible, reach out to your local utility to see what kind of green power options they offer.

2

Minimize travel.

After years of being cooped up at home, people crave in-person contact, and with good reason. There’s something special about a face-to-face interaction that’s lost over email or video conference. But it’s also true that travel tends to be a carbon-heavy endeavor, especially via airplane. Be strategic about which conferences you attend and which meetings need take place in person. Sometimes a virtual call is really all you need. When you do travel, consider using public transportation or carpooling to help reduce your carbon footprint.

3

Optimize energy efficiency.

Install energy-efficient lighting, HVAC systems and equipment. Encourage employees to turn off lights and equipment when not in use.

4

Adopt a circular business model.

Adopt a circular business model. The circular economy focuses on a product’s whole lifecycle, including what happens to it at the end of life. Whenever possible, source products that have been designed for reuse, recycling and repair, rather than disposal. This can help reduce waste and emissions associated with the production and disposal of products.

5

Invest in reputable carbon offsetting programs.

To help cancel out the emissions, it’s worth looking into tree-planting and other climate-restorative efforts. A number of promo companies, for example, have partnered with veritree, which uses on-the-ground monitoring and blockchain verification to ensure that its kelp- and tree-planting projects are having the impact that’s been promised.

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