Tips for Reducing Your Company’s Operations Carbon Footprint

Achieving climate efficiency often goes hand-in-hand with operational efficiency. By transitioning to cleaner technologies and optimizing logistics, companies can reduce their carbon footprint and increase their bottom line. Here’s how:

• Transition to efficient vehicles and machines
• Optimize logistics for climate efficiency
• Encourage a mindset shift toward incremental emission reductions

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Transition to efficient vehicles and machines

Upgrading to more efficient vehicles is a practical way to reduce emissions, and employee experiences can offer valuable insights here.

For instance, our own Aclymate employee Travis Kruse – a longtime off-road enthusiast – recently switched from a gas-powered fleet to a Nissan Leaf after discovering an affordable lease option. Living in the mountains, he’d relied on vehicles like a Jeep and Tundra for rugged commutes, but the Leaf proved perfect for everyday needs. Since the switch, he’s cut down on gas costs, fueling his 4Runner only once in two months and spending just $100 on charging for over 2,000 miles!

Besides, encouraging EV adoption also aligns with the benefits of electrifying machinery, leveraging the increasingly clean grid to further cut emissions.

Optimize logistics for climate efficiency

Shipping and logistics are significant contributors to carbon emissions. Here are some ways to improve efficiency:

• Choose larger, ground-based shipping options: When possible, prioritize larger, ground-based shipments over air freight. Larger vehicles, like cargo ships, are far more efficient in terms of emissions, producing up to 10 to 50 times less carbon per mile compared to planes.

Additionally, shipping by sea is often the most cost-effective method for transporting goods, supporting both business and environmental objectives.

• Prioritize local manufacturing and closer shipping distances: Reducing the miles that goods travel from manufacturer to market can significantly lower emissions. Manufacturing locally also aligns with financial trends – domestic production in the U.S. has become more competitive as price disparities between the U.S. and overseas markets have narrowed. Additionally, local manufacturing avoids logistical issues like time zone differences and language barriers. With the U.S. grid becoming cleaner, items produced domestically generally have a lower carbon footprint than those manufactured abroad.

Encourage a mindset shift toward incremental emission reductions

Sustainable goals are often more achievable when broken down into smaller, incremental steps. Set an emissions reduction goal, like aiming for a 5% decrease this year.

Tracking tools like Aclymate can help companies measure progress, offering valuable insights and keeping the organization on track. These small but steady improvements can make a meaningful difference over time, reinforcing a culture of sustainability within your business.

Want to learn more about evaluating and offsetting your business’s carbon emissions? Book a free 30-minute consultation call with our sustainability expert now.

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