Eco Resolutions

Thu, Dec 23, 2021

Alongside our company-wide commitment to achieve B Corp Certification, we each made eco resolutions for the new year, to help us be more sustainable and inspire others to join us.

Offsetting our carbon

Throughout 2021 we have been offsetting our carbon emissions with Ecologi, by planting trees and investing in climate projects across the world.

At time of publishing this blog (December 2021) we have successfully planted 4,531 trees around the world and offset 234.24 tonnes of carbon.

Monitoring and reducing our carbon emissions

To do our utmost to offset more than we create, we have taken extra measures to monitor and reduce our carbon footprint, such as:

Switching to Fairphone – This was not only important for our work-life balance, but is also a sustainable move.

Fairphones are made with up to 40% recycled plastics and designed to last – the longer you keep a phone, the smaller the environmental footprint.

Tracking our mileage – Although we work remotely from home, there are times when we need to travel to the office.

Each staff member completes a monthly mileage tracker, from that we can keep an eye on our emissions caused by transport. Where possible, our staff will car share with each other to reduce this.

Monitoring our energy use – One of the downsides to working remotely was not being able to track our energy consumption from one central location.

After a little research, we discovered smart extension leads and plugs, which help us to monitor the energy use of our work equipment. As well as being able to clearly see the data, staff can schedule their equipment to turn off around their work to ensure we don’t waste energy when it’s not needed.

Eco resolutions for 2022

Each of our staff have set eco resolutions, sharing how they plan to make sustainable changes in 2022.

In fact, most of our staff plan to make changes in multiple areas of their daily living. We’ve summarized them below in the hope that they may inspire you to take on the challenge too.

Food and food waste

Did you know…around a third of all food is wasted, that equates to a whopping 1.3 billion tonnes! As food waste is a major contributor to climate change, this is an area a lot of our team have focused on.

Many of our employees thought they could do more to prevent food waste and are looking to donate what they don’t use, plan their meals, make use of their leftovers and learn how to portion control.

One of our team members has decided to turn vegetarian in the New Year, with several others looking to explore more plant-based meals and reduce their meat consumption.

A few others are looking to start growing their own vegetables and herbs, ensuring that anything they grow goes to good use.

Avoiding plastic food packaging and using cling film also came up as something we want to change in the new year.

Clothing

Did you realise that by changing your shopping habits you could help the environment?

Buying second-hand clothing was something a number of our employees are looking to change in 2022. Along with making their own (for those of us who are handy with a sewing machine) and renting formal wear, as opposed to buying it.

Transport

As a team we’ve already significantly reduced our carbon footprint by removing the daily commute and working from home.

However, a few of us felt that we were too reliant on our cars for short distances. Be prepared to see more of the Portt & Co team walking or cycling short distances!

Recycling and reusing

Whilst recycling is common for us in the UK, in Romania it isn’t as widely acknowledged. Our employees in the Brasov office have been inspired by our passion for it and will be setting a great example in their home country by recycling as much as they can.

General use

Many of us have pledged to make more informed choices with our household items and cosmetics. When the time comes to purchase something new, we will be looking at more sustainable alternatives and checking what things are made from.

How can small businesses make a difference to climate change?

Did you know that small businesses make up 99% of the UK’s enterprises, employing 61% of the UK’s workforce?!

Imagine the difference we could collectively make to the planet by all making one small change. We hope that by sharing this blog we’ve inspired you to do something different next year. If you have, don’t forget to tell us – sharing is the best way to encourage and inspire others.