Navigating the net-zero challenge one step at a time

Most companies today recognise the need to become more sustainable. Growing customer and stakeholder expectations, combined with increasingly stringent environmental regulations, are driving companies to contemplate a more environmentally friendly way of operating. However, going green can be daunting, and understandably, many companies don’t know where to start.  

At Kainos, we’ve been on our own sustainability journey and know how complex it can be. Here are some lessons that we have learned along the way to help you accelerate your path to net-zero.  

Before you can answer a question, you must understand it. The world of sustainability comes with a confusing vocabulary of scientific terms, and their definitions can differ depending on whom you ask. For example, did you know that carbon neutral is not the same as carbon net-zero? People often use such terms interchangeably, usually due to ignorance but occasionally on purpose to give a false impression of their sustainability credentials – known as ‘greenwashing’. Everyone is on the same learning curve, and it’s worth taking your time to familiarise yourself with the terminology used by regulators and stakeholders. That way, you’ll understand what you need to achieve and be able to learn from strategies other organisations have used.   

Gather and clean up your data

Finding the right data and preparing it for calculation is one of the biggest challenges you’ll face on your sustainability path. You’ll need large volumes of data from across your entire organisation, typically held within different systems and unstructured formats. Data sets typically include office energy consumption, revenue and expenditure figures, procurement records and business travel costs. The challenge is knowing what data is relevant to your carbon footprint, which can be difficult to tackle alone. You may wish to consider getting help from experts in data capture and analysis like Kainos, to structure and prioritise the key data sets you’ll need to measure your footprint. 

To meet these data demand as reporting requirements increase, every organisation is going to need robust figures. So, rolling your own Excel spreadsheet is not advisable – you’ll really need to use a recognised tool to import and analyse your data to produce actionable insights into your organisation’s environmental performance. You might also find it useful to follow industry best practice and report annually to non-profit organisation the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP). This will be increasingly important over the next few years as businesses seek information, and base buying decisions, on their suppliers’ disclosed emissions. 

Once you’ve measured and begun to report your emissions, you’ll be in a position to identify your biggest sources of emissions and start to build an action plan. Where can you reduce or even eliminate your organisation’s carbon emissions? And what counter-measures can you take to address those emissions you can’t do anything about? To avoid suggestions of greenwashing, you’ll need a credible reduction plan that aligns with science-based targets and has undergone external validation from a recognised and respected organisation such as the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Following this route gives you, your investors, customers and employees confidence that you have a genuine net-zero roadmap with realistic and tangible outcomes. 

• Travel: When we analysed our own data, we spotted that one of our biggest carbon contributors was business travel. We talked to our customers so that, where feasible, we replaced face-to-face meetings with remote working and collaboration technology. In many cases, this has proven to be just as effective with our customers, while encouraging a better work-life balance for our staff.  
• Tools: We’ve also used tools designed for remote workers to collaboratively plan large-scale projects, and tools such as Mural to communicate with customers. Every organisation has become accustomed to remote working – so consider questioning whether your company genuinely needs to revert to all the pre-pandemic ways of doing business.  
• Facilities: Where you have physical premises, you will also find opportunities to create a greener facility. Look at moving to renewable energy suppliers, adding sensor lighting, going paperless or committing to a recycling programme. 

A longer-term strategy is to work with your suppliers to understand their net-zero challenges and help them improve their sustainability. In 2021 we began this work at Kainos; our supply chain represents more than 40% of our Scope 3 carbon footprint under the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, so it was crucial to collaborate with major suppliers around sustainability and best practice. This is how we will reduce our end-to-end supply chain emissions and ensure we’re making the biggest difference we can. If you haven’t started to talk sustainability with your own suppliers, now is the time, as this is a long-term exercise that can fundamentally impact how, and with whom, you do business in the future. 

Finally, at Kainos we’ve also developed our Cloud Carbon Reduction Calculator that helps organisations estimate their current emissions and compare them to what they could be if they migrated to the cloud. Our calculations show that potential carbon emission reductions could be as high as 92% when moving to the cloud.  

Go for it!  

Going green doesn’t have to be daunting. Plenty of organisations have been through it and have a wealth of experience to share. Ask for guidance from non-profit organisations and support from companies that understand your business. Consider how technology can help you collect, clean, and analyse your data, and work with a trusted partner to propel you towards your sustainability goals.  

If you’d like to find out how Kainos can accelerate your journey to sustainability through technology, contact us today.