Have you been asked to provide a ‘Carbon Reduction Plan’ as part of a recent tender process and aren’t sure where to start?
Brunton Bid Writing has partnered with Litmus Sustainability to produce a significantly discounted package and help you through the process. In this blog, Litmus’ Director of Sustainability, Laurence Adams, breaks down what a Carbon Reduction Plan is, why you are being asked for one and how you can turn it into a great opportunity for wider business success.
At first glance, Carbon Reduction Plans probably look like just another bureaucratic task. They involve:
- Measuring your organisation’s carbon footprint;
- Setting reduction targets; and
- Explaining what you’re going to do to achieve them.
Now, you may be thinking “we’re just a small independent service provider! We’re all for doing our bit to tackle climate change, but in the scheme of things, how much can we actually do?”
If you feel frustrated, you’re far from alone. Thousands of businesses of all sizes are being asked for Carbon Reduction Plans for the first time this year. But don’t worry, the bark is far worse than the bite. In fact, page-for-page, a Carbon Reduction Plan is one of the most valuable documents you can produce – not just for your bid, but for your wider business. Here’s why…
Carbon Reduction Plans in a nutshell
I’ll explain why you’re being asked for a Carbon Reduction Plan in a moment, but first, let’s break down the term itself:
‘Carbon’
CRPs are fundamentally about your carbon footprint and doing your bit to tackle climate change. You start by measuring your organisation’s greenhouse gas (i.e. carbon) emissions. Your first year forms the baseline against which all future years will be compared.
As a minimum, small service-based businesses (such as recruitment agencies) that do not handle a large amount of physical goods must collect data on:
- Utilities (energy, water and waste);
- Vehicle mileage;
- Business travel; and
- Staff commuting.
Once you have this ‘activity data’, it needs to be converted into greenhouse gas emissions, expressed in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e).
‘Reduction’
Next, you need to publicly commit to a ‘net zero’ target of 2050 or earlier. This means your organisation is committing to doing its fair share in helping the UK achieve its international climate commitments. You should also set interim targets to keep you on track in the intervening years.
Note that you can’t buy your way to net zero with carbon offsets – this is all about minimising your emissions to as close to zero as possible before offsets can come into play.
‘Plan’
Once you have measured your emissions and set targets, you need to demonstrate what you’re doing to achieve them. This involves identifying and describing any carbon reduction projects that you have completed so far , the projects you are committed to delivering during the delivery of your contract, and any projects you are considering in the longer-term.
Why are you being asked to provide a Carbon Reduction Plan?
It comes down to a procurement policy all UK public sector bodies must now follow, called PPN 06/21.
The public sector has a huge role to play in achieving the UK’s climate targets, and it has a responsibility to lead the way. But, as is the case with most organisations, the majority of the public sector’s emissions do not actually come from its direct operations – they come from its suppliers – in other words, from businesses like yours.
If public sector bodies are to tackle this, they first need to understand it. They need to map out the impact of their entire supply chain, however small, so they can monitor it over time and identify where the hotspots are.
In other words, they are having to create a CRP of their own, so they can make better informed decisions on where to invest their time and resources to cut emissions cost-effectively. That’s where you come in. By producing your CRP, you are helping them to deliver theirs.
What are the benefits of doing it right?
A good CRP is far more than just a pass/fail compliance document you use once and then file into a dusty cabinet. It’s a mini-roadmap to becoming a future-proof, partner of choice for your customers, and it also doubles as a great social value and marketing resource:
- A good CRP can help you to improve your social value score in tenders. A 10% minimum weighting is now commonplace for social value questions in public sector tender, and in some cases it is far higher. Your CRP provides information on the theme of ‘Fighting Climate Change’, part of the Social Value TOMS which is used to measure social value and to aid scoring in tenders.
- As more and more customers feel the pressure to act on climate change, they will begin asking questions of their suppliers. A good CRP gives you everything you need in order to answer any questions they may throw at you. In short it will help you get in ahead of your competitors.
- Whether it’s customers, investors or your employees, research overwhelmingly shows that people want to work with companies that are taking action to be environmentally responsible. This is especially true of millennials (now the majority of the working population), and even more so of younger Gen Zs entering the workforce. Your CRP has to be publicly available on your website, so why not use it as a branding tool?
- A good CRP should help you reduce costs. Many carbon reduction projects, especially the in relation early low-hanging fruit, double as cost saving projects. If your emissions reporting shows that energy consumption is a big contributor to your carbon footprint, simple energy efficiency measures like switch-off procedures or upgrading to more efficient lighting will reduce your energy bill. If business travel is a big contributor, efforts to reduce or avoid travel where possible will reduce expenditure on fuel and transport.
- The breakdown of emissions reporting required in your CRP is valuable in helping you identify the most important areas of your business for carbon reduction. There are lots of competing ‘green’ solutions out there vying for your attention, and you only have limited time, money and energy to invest. Do you set your sights on an electric vehicle? What about those old lights? Or should you be incentivising staff to use public transport or get on a bike? A good CRP will provide the answers.
What does a good Carbon Reduction Plan look like?
A good CRP can be as short as 4 pages long, and there’s a standard template already in place for you to follow:
- Page 1-2: Your headline net zero target and a breakdown of your baseline emissions footprint and most recent year, plus any further contextual information.
- Page 2-4: A deeper dive into your targets and your progress to-date, followed by a breakdown of your completed carbon reduction projects and those you are considering in future.
Once complete, your CRP needs to be signed and approved by your board of directors, and made available on your website. It must be refreshed every year with new emissions figures and an update on your progress. To remain compliant, it should never be more than 12 months’ out-of-date when starting a new tendering process.
Need a helping hand?
This whole exercise might seem a little daunting – especially when it comes to the technicalities of emissions reporting – but it doesn’t have to be. There is guidance to help you get started on carbon reduction, such as the government-endorsed UK Business Climate Hub.
However, creating a CRP yourself is not something to attempt if:
- Your bid deadline is rapidly approaching
- You have minimal knowledge of the emissions reporting process
- You’re not sure how to get the data you’ll need; and/or
- You’re going to struggle to dedicate ongoing resource to it.
Brunton Bid Writing has partnered with Litmus Sustainability to offer a cost-effective CRP service designed specifically for small recruitment firms operating in the public sector.
There are two options which complement different budgets and levels of ambition. Both deliver a rapid turnaround CRP that is guaranteed to be compliant with the requirements of your tender.
Click here to access Brunton Bid Writing’s discounted Carbon Reduction Plan package.
or for more information, contact Fiona at fiona.brunton@bruntonconsultancy.co.uk or reach out to Litmus directly.
Just for clarity, Brunton Bid Writing does not earn a commission through this (or any other) partnership. Instead Litmus will donate £50 for every referred customer they work with to Mull First Aid – Brunton Bid Writing’s chosen charity. Mull First Aid is a small local organisation that provides first aid cover at local events in the Isle of Mull (and at which Fiona Brunton is a trained volunteer). Without this “at cost” service, many local sporting events, agricultural shows and highland games would not be able to take place.
