26 for COP26: What can your business do to protect nature?

COP26 is considered to be the most important meeting to secure the future of our planet. It is a gathering of world leaders and influential politicians; the topic of discussion is the measures that will be taken to limit warming to below 2C. This year, the UK is hosting the summit in Glasgow running from 31 October to 12 November 2021. 

According to the IPCC, we are already experiencing long term irreversible climate change. To limit the effects of global warming we all need to make rapid and significant cuts to our carbon emissions. 

Businesses have a key part to play in reducing emissions and developing solutions needed to address the climate crisis. In the Business West QES survey 70% of participants agreed that climate change is a business issue which needs to be actioned. 

How can protecting nature make a difference? 

The climate and ecological crisis are interconnected challenges facing humanity. Nature loss is a global issue which has proved to have economic consequences. Biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse are in the top five risks in the Worlds Economic Forum's 2020 Global Risks Report.  

With all this being said, we understand that you might feel like a small fish in a big pond when it comes relating your businesses to these global government summits. There are however practical measures that all businesses can take to address the ecological crisis, 26 of them are listed below. So, take your pick, all changes no matter how small are all steps in the right direction.  

1. Use eco-friendly products - Many businesses don’t realise that the products they use have chemicals that are harmful to wildlife, switching to eco-friendly products limits the damaging effect. Wendy Thomson of Wendy Goes Green created her own range of sustainable, green cleaning products. She uses natural ingredients that are biodegradable, a perfect combination for preserving nature.
2. Buy products made from sustainable palm oil - Palm oil is widely used in the manufacturing of many products across a whole range of industries. It’s found in make-up, various beauty products and even in our food. The crop that palm oil is extracted from is often farmed in areas of rural poverty. The irresponsible production and growing demand for palm oil is causing widespread rainforest destruction and wildlife loss. When buying products that contain palm oil, look out for brands that are marked with Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) accreditation. This way you can be confident that it is not being sourced from areas which contain significant concentrations of biodiversity and has been grown using significantly less pesticides.
3. Limit the use of your lawnmower - Insects are suffering a huge decline due to a loss of habitat. It is thought that the number of insects has fallen by 50% since 1970. It might not seem like it, but insects are an important part of the food chain; they are a main food source for many animals. We also rely on them to pollinate most of our food crops.
4. Plant flowers - Planting flowers is a great way to increase biodiversity as pollinators (bees, butterflies, moths, hummingbirds, flies, beetles and wasps) feed off the nectar and distribute pollen enabling the plants to seed and bear fruit.
5. Get involved with your local conservation groups - Getting involved with a local conservation group is a way for your business to support local wildlife. Avon Wildlife Trust offer a Corporate Partnership Scheme. Employees at Ecosurety volunteered to build a wildlife pond at the Feed Bristol site and Rolls Royce helped to create a wildlife friendly wellbeing garden at the Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre.   
6. Get involved with international conservation - Bristol Zoo carries out conservation projects in four continents across the world that are underpinned by scientific research. Businesses can become corporate members of the zoo to enable this work to continue.  
7. Grow your own forest - Some businesses are creating their own woodlands to store carbon and create more habitats to support wildlife. Portishead based Viper Innovations have purchased a 31.5-acre plot of land in the village of Stogumber, West Somerset. Employees will act as custodians for the existing woodland and work with the Woodland Trust and Forestry Commission. 
8. Support local tree planting – Planting individual trees is beneficial as they store carbon, create shade in the summer, retain water, stabilise soils, and create habitats for wildlife. Businesses can support the planting of more trees. Local schemes include: Forest of Avon Trust, Avon Needs Trees and Co Forrest.  
9. Plant trees on own land – Corporate landowners can make a big difference to the rate of tree planting in the UK as they own 130.9% of potential woodland opportunities that could meet England’s tree-planting targets. Eco-transparency platform Project Vana can match corporate landowners with suitable land with local afforestation groups. 
10. Support tree planting overseas - Tree growth and biodiversity varies across the globe; some businesses choose to support tree planting schemes in developing countries. Converging World can create a forest the equivalent size of your business to absorb an equivalent amount of carbon as it emits in India, and Ecologi can plant trees according to sales of products so that customers can play a role. 
11. Support Rewilding – This allows natural processes and nature to shape the landscape and the habitats within an area. It can involve bringing back a missing species. Ecotalk which is part of Ecotricity is taking this approach having contributed financial support alongside Biffa, to buy and secure a piece of land for the RSBP, Fairburn Ings reserve, near Castleford.
12. Protect existing rainforests - Rainforests are under threat due to mass farming, some businesses are choosing to invest in protecting these habitats. Bath based Rainforest Concern has a corporate partnership scheme which businesses can become involved with. This scheme helps to protect threatened natural habitats by purchasing land for private reserves. 
13. Create a Biodiversity Action Plan - Wessex Water created their own biodiversity action plan (BAP) and was the corporate initiative of its kind in the UK. This helps them to map out where they are having an impact and the steps, they will take to reduce impacts and improve biodiversity.  
14. Water efficiency - As climate change progresses, in the UK our summers will become dryer, placing more stress on water resources. Businesses can reduce the demand on water in a number of ways as outlined by our member, Water 2 Business in their Sustainability Tips, following their advice, St Monicas Trust in Bristol reduced their water consumption by 44%. 
15. Repair and reuse - All the equipment that we need to operate our businesses require resources. Business will need to find ways to reuse and extend the life of these materials. Circular Business Models can offer a solution. The lifespan of IT equipment for example can be extended by donating lap tops to disadvantaged groups though Digilocal and Community Calling for mobile phones. 
16. Join a refill scheme – This scheme means that your business will refill water bottles with tap water, this cuts the demand in plastic bottles, most of which is single use and can end up as litter and as pollution. 
17. Eliminate microplastics from your business - Awareness around the issues microplastics cause in the marine environment has grown. A lot of this is to do with the Bristol produced BBC Blue Planet programme. Environmental consultancy Eunomia have created guidance on how to help businesses respond to microplastics. They also highlight the problems microplastic pollution can cause with Earthwatch Europe.
18. Think about food in the business - Where and how food is grown can have an impact on nature, in many parts of the world, habitats for wildlife are turned over for food production. Some of the foods that we eat, can have a harmful effect on the surrounding ecosystem by putting it out of balance. Bristol has become a Sustainable Food City and in doing so has created a tool for businesses to create good food plans. 
19. Prevent pollution - All businesses create waste in one form or another. Waste must be responsibly managed, stored, transported and disposed of, according to best practice under Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act (1990). 
20. React quickly to any accident - In the event of a pollution incident, the Environment Agency should be contacted immediately to allow them to take steps to protect the environment and advise on the clean up.
21. Reduce paper use - There are many low or no cost ways to reduce paper use in your business. At Business West, we now use Docusign rather than printing documents, here are 6 more simple ways to cut paper out. 
22. Use nature to connect to communities - Nature is a good place to encourage connections between different groups of people. My Future My Choice use Bristol Gorge as a classroom, giving young people a new take on education. While Grassroots Communities CIC take young people living in areas of high deprivation into nature to work on their mental health, self-esteem and confidence to encourage them to succeed in education and their work life. The annual Festival of Nature organised by our member Bristol Natural History Consortium is the biggest of its kind in the UK. It gets children engaged and enthusiastic about the environment. Each of these organisations work with corporate partners to help get more young people enthused about protecting nature. 
23. Allocate land for the protection of nature - At the G7 Environment and Climate ministers commit to protect land and ocean to bend the curve of biodiversity loss by 2030 by conserving or protect at least 30% of global land and oceans. The Bristol One City Ecological Emergency Strategy also calls for 30% of land to be conserved and protected for nature.  
24. Work with your supply chain - There are a few recognisable standards that should give you assurance that your supply chain is limiting its impact on biodiversity. These standards include: Fair Trade, Rain Forrest Alliance for tea and coffee, MSC for fish to name a few.  
25. Have a system in place to embed action on the ecological crises - Consider having a system of framework in place to embed taking action on the ecological crisis. Having an ISO 14001 Environmental Management System, means that you will need to consider the environmental impact of your business. It allows you to have an action plan to manage and reduce your impacts, which is resourced and is checked by an auditor. Another approach is to become a B Corporation (B Corp), in doing so, your business will need to upstand the highest environmental and social standards. Business West recently became a B Corp. 
26. Reduce carbon emissions - A warming climate puts more stress on the natural environment as it cannot adapt at the pace at which the climate is changing. This is threatening the survival of many species. This increase in temperature also reduces the ability of trees to take carbon out of the atmosphere. We offer support on where to begin and where to get help on decarbonisation.

Business West is one of the largest Chamber of Commerce in the UK; delivers a range of business support to businesses across the South West to start, grow, innovate and export; and provided regional business leadership through the Initiative. Business West is a B Corp and has set a target to reach Net Zero by 2050. We have also created a Net Zero Portal for businesses in the region to share best practice on net zero, listings of regional events and signposting to advice, guidance and support.