5 key ways to lower your reliance on fossil fuels

As small businesses, we’re still heavily reliant on fossil fuels to run our operations. Small businesses represent 90% of all companies and generate 60%-70% of industrial emissions.

We use petrol and diesel to fuel our vehicles and machinery. Some use international flights and aviation fuel to transport our goods to other countries.

A meaningful chunk of our electricity is still produced using coal-fired power stations. There’s also the impact of producing plastics and petrochemical derivatives to consider.

With climate change a pressing concern, it’s helpful for small businesses to do their part in achieving lower emissions. And with the Middle East currently so unstable, finding alternatives to fossil fuels is becoming business critical, rather than just a green policy.

Here are five important ways you could make your business less reliant on fossil fuels.

1. Decarbonise your vehicles and logistics

Replace your petrol and diesel vehicles with electric vehicles (EVs) where possible. This eliminates tailpipe emissions and reduces your exposure to spikes in fuel prices, while also lowering the long-term maintenance costs for your delivery vehicles or service fleet.

2. Switch to renewable energy

To make your energy usage more sustainable, consider installing solar panels or small-scale wind turbines on site to generate your own electricity. If you rent, explore to switch to a ‘Green Tariff’ provider that guarantees your power is sourced from 100% renewable assets.

3. Reduce your overall energy consumption

Reduce your demand on the electricity grid by upgrading to energy-efficient alternatives. This could include moving to LED lighting, high-performance insulation and smart thermostats. Eliminating your energy wastage is the fastest way to reduce your need for coal-fired power.

4. Localise your supply chain

Try sourcing from local suppliers where possible to cut down on the carbon in your supply chain. This drastically cuts your use of aviation and the heavy-fuel oil consumption required for international shipping. It also minimises your exposure to logistics disruptions caused by rising fuel prices.

5. Ditch plastics and move to bio-materials

Reduce your reliance on petrochemicals by replacing plastics with bio-based alternatives or recycled alternatives. Using circular packaging models lowers the demand for oil-based materials and helps you align more closely with global Net Zero standards.