The Path to Net Zero

How to balance sustainability with feasibility? Matthew Margetts, director of Sales and Marketing at Smarter Technologies, finds out

- David Attenborough

To avoid the potentially catastrophic impacts of climate change, the global temperature increase must be limited to 1.5 degrees centigrade (°C) above pre-industrial levels. At I.1°C currently, we are already feeling the effects. The global community has responded with the Paris Agreement, and we have seen a wave of bold business commitments, with almost 300 global companies pledging for net zero before 2050. However, there is still a long way to go, and every business needs to play its part.

While the climate is changing, pressure is mounting: governments are creating new legislation, investors are asking climate-led questions and society is demanding that action be taken. Businesses that don't adopt a path to net zero could face a number of risks, such as losing investment, noncompliance, losing competitiveness, and being exposed to supply chain instability... never mind being exposed to extreme weather events as a result of climate change.

Currently, only around 5% of the world's largest companies (as represented by the Global Fortune 500) have pledged to become net zero. But it's not just up to the world's largest companies. We are all responsible for our impact on the planet. We need to move towards lower (and net zero) carbon as a global community. This is done by both reducing the emissions we produce as well as removing carbon from the atmosphere.

What is net zero?

Net zero is a "state in which the activities within the value chain of a company result in no net impact on the climate from greenhouse gas emissions".

The attributes of leading net zero commitments

• Science-based

• Adhere to strict social and environmental safeguards

• Has strong social and environmental co-benefits

• Take responsibility for tackling emissions along the value chain - including products, suppliers, services and investments