Setting net zero targets for twenty years’ hence is forcing businesses that have traditionally focused on the short-term and tactics into long-term planning and strategic decisions – and I for one, am delighted…
An obsessive and seasoned corporate planner, I’ve always extolled the benefits of setting SMART objectives (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, timed) where possible, developing strategies on how to achieve these, outlining action programmes with deadlines and clear responsibilities, and having specific metrics by which to judge success. But I remain continually surprised by the shortage of skills and knowledge in organisations, large and small, on how to go about this in practice.
Setting a net zero target presents an exciting opportunity to showcase the benefits of proper planning and managing against those plans. Without these, businesses don’t stand a chance of reaching net zero, or even of convincing their clients and other stakeholders that they are genuinely working to do so.
In practice, this means elevating decisions. Rather than considering whether to install some solar panels or not, it’s thinking about how you can best reduce emissions and help tackle climate change in a relevant way for your business.
Rather than just thinking about what’s going on in your organisation, it’s thinking about what your competitors, clients, and suppliers are doing? What does best practice look like? How can you learn from others or lead the way?
And rather than just looking at results in terms of what you’ve done, such as buy five electric vehicles and give carbon training to 20 employees, it’s looking at what that has achieved, such as reduced Scope 1 & 2 emissions by 20% in 2022 against a 2021 baseline.
Businesses that embrace a strategic approach to their net zero targets will undoubtedly be more effective in reducing emissions, but are also likely to reduce their risks, costs, and time spent in doing so. I’m confident that this new appreciation of the benefits of strategy over tactics will then be applied to the wider business.
