From Guest Blogger Dimitris Papadoupolos: Three Ways Renewable Energy Is Transforming Business
Using more renewable energy sources and reducing your carbon footprint are the simplest ways for any business to boost its green credentials.
And the green energy sector has expanded and innovated so rapidly that it’s genuinely possible for firms in practically any sector to make the efforts required to clean up their acts.
There’s always progress to be made, but the march of the green machine now looks unstoppable — here are three ways renewable energy is transforming business.
Big business
Some of the world’s biggest businesses, including Google, Ikea and M&S, are switching to renewable energy sources under the RE100 initiative.
The scheme requires signatories to commit to using 100% renewable energy by a specified year — a move that could drastically reduce reliance on fossil fuels and make a major contribution to protecting biodiversity.
It’s now mandatory for all FTSE100 companies to include a greenhouse gas inventory as part of their annual reports, but it’s also easier for firms to switch to an energy provider that can provide evidence that their supply comes from renewable sources and matches consumption levels.
Green Offices
The BREEAM awards highlight the achievements of those involved in designing, building and managing sustainable buildings — expert assessment and certification can take place at various stages through the construction, completion and operation of a built environment.
The building is then awarded a rating based on criteria like energy efficiency, health and wellbeing, innovation, land use, materials, pollution, waste and water.
A BREEAM certification ensures that a building’s operation costs are reduced through smart design — but it also demonstrates corporate social responsibility and sustainable business leadership.
Categories include large infrastructure projects and newly constructed office and homes. But in-use buildings and refurbished properties can also apply, meaning certification is open to a range of businesses — from solicitors in Leeds to sales and marketing firms in London.
From oil to renewables
Oil firm BP has indicated that it wants to invest in more companies involved in renewables and clean energy.
With clean energy accounting for just $0.5 billion of a total $16 billion capital expenditure programme, hydrocarbons are still at the heart of BP’s business.
But chief executive Bob Dudley says the organisation is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions while the industry gradually transitions away from fossil fuels — it’s recently bought a $200 million share in Europe’s largest solar energy developer and is on the lookout for other green opportunities.
Large oil firms still own less than a 1 per cent share of global wind and solar capacity globally, but any moves in a sustainable direction should be encouraged.
These three ways renewable energy is transforming business prove that progress is being made on environmental issues, despite the ongoing challenges — and that’s good news for the future of the planet.
Is your business sustainable? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
