Well did you think of a blue parrot?
Most people when reading this will indeed think of a blue parrot and simply put it is because we cannot imagine the negative word ‘Don’t’. The purpose of pointing this out is that what we communicate is very important and particularly when it comes to identifying problems and promoting solutions.
We are hearing yet again of a series of negative grim reports from this year’s COP28 in Dubai:
• The World Health Organisation review summarises the impact of climate change has accelerated.
• The Climate action Tracker shows that no country around the world is on track to reduce its Greenhouse emissions to meet the 1.5 degrees target from the Paris Agreement.
• The Global carbon project which revealed emissions in 2023 rose by 1.1% globally and in India by 8%!
• The World Meteorological Organisations Decadal review is also bleak – even though its reporting ought to even out the changes this year from say La Nina or El Nino.
We can all witness the wide-ranging changes to our climate system for ourselves be it increases to temperature, sea level rises, Ice sheet loss, our oceans are getting warmer and more acidic. Along with stronger winds, fires, and flooding, none of the statistics are moving in a positive direction.
The main noise is focussed on the root cause – the source of energy and in particular fossil fuels, coal, gas, and oil.
The fossil fuel industry is aware fossil fuel is to be phased out in the coming years, they are trying to hold out for returns for as long as possible and from a commercial perspective who can blame them.
Change therefore must come from other influencers outside of the fossil fuel energy industry,in other words to our politicians and legislators. If they follow the science change is inevitable, its then only a matter of communicating time and resources.
The speed of which will be determined by bringing the electorate along with them. In other words, success will be determined by positive communication towards solutions and benefits rather than focussing on the negativities.
Bertram Piccard, the founder of the Solar Impulse Foundation at COP 28 said – we need to show –
• The solutions more than the problem
• That decarbonisation must be made – everywhere.
• How through profitable modernisation at the country level one can deliver greater efficiency and reducing waste and resources and pollution, but also stopping the waste of money.
• Whilst there is a climate urgency there is also an economic imperative that will probably be more motivating for the world of economy and politics.
To reduce carbon emissions – it is not simply about the source of energy, its about every business in the land needs to look closely at the energy used – just as they would to reduce operational cost.
When it comes to Packaging it is possible to save money and the planet.
Like any new initiative it will require some investment in time and people.
To begin with typically employing staff e.g. a Environmental Manager – many of these folk are already in place as investors want to see positive statements in annual accounts. This mustbe managed carefully to avoid accusations of Greenwashing from the wider community and possible fines from the CMA.
The next step is to identify the goal and scope of the process within an organisation, setting personal and team objectives. A challenge as team members may not know what it is they do not know!
Next challenge is the inventory and analysis of the data – packaging specifications, order quantities and the price of every stock keeping unit (SKU). This can lead to further costs particularly if the Life Cycle Assessment process is conducted manually every year. And if conducted internally it will likely lack credibility from the wider community. Consider is marking one’s own homework to be trusted?
Conducting impact assessments and interpreting the data can be a minefield but does not need to be if measurement and analysis is conducted rigorously and reported consistently annually.
Leading onto businesses recognising they need a long-term software solution that holds the data and can certify year on year carbon reductions proving a carbon net zero journey.
At Benchmark,
• We enable deep dive diagnosis margin challenges within your business with a press of a button.
• We handle large complex tenders delivered in a matter of hours accurate to the SKU level.
• We can provide commercial excellence delivered through our masterclass training.
• We provide workflow solutions with approvals and escalation process that adhere to your strategic approach.
• We provide your full customised P&L, allowing you to set the margins and targets at any level for specific products.
• We calculate the commercial and environmental costs at the same time.
• We are verified to ISO 14067
• We deliver your granular data, accurately calculated, and transparently reported in your templates / dashboards.
• We are an authentic third party, so you can be assured that no one can accuse you of Greenwashing.
• Our one stop shop is easy to use.
• We have competitive solutions for businesses large and small.
Don’t think of the problem – ‘a blue parrot’.
Do think how you can save money and the planet.
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