The Importance of Carbon Literacy

Businesses are facing mounting pressure to prioritise their green initiatives and employees are becoming increasingly conscious of their company's carbon footprint. Environmental sustainability has become an important part of people’s lives and employees often want to mirror what they prioritise in their personal lives at work. At the other end of the spectrum, some people are unaware of the changes they could be making to protect the environment.

Over the last few years, Monahans have been increasingly concerned about sustainability, our impact on the environment and the wider climate crisis. Through our B Corp certification process, we have identified key areas we can focus on as a workforce to make a difference. For us, it’s about making a positive impact by educating and engaging our colleagues to make better choices, so people begin to think about their impact on the environment in their day-to-day lives.

Stephanie Hurst, our Corporate Tax Consultancy and Personal Tax Compliance Director, is part of the team responsible for managing the environmental impact at Monahans and recently delivered a presentation to educate employees on carbon footprint, their environmental impact both inside and outside of the office and the small changes they could be making to reduce carbon emissions.

What is Monahans doing to reduce its carbon footprint?
Historically, Monahans has always made a conscious effort to adhere to measures that help the environment. For a number of years, Monahans has enforced environmental actions such as recycling and turning off lights and computers, but more recently, we have been asking people to think a little deeper about what else counts. This could be assessing the way we travel to work or the way we communicate with clients.

We have identified a number of initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint and we believe that if everyone makes an effort to do just one thing, we will make a significant difference as a firm. People can easily become stuck in their routines and can lack perspective when it comes to their carbon footprint, so we believe it’s important to highlight ways to improve.

At Monahans, we are:

• Encouraging employees to cycle to work where possible, use public transport and encourage car sharing if three or more people are going to the same place.
• Asking employees to avoid using letters and send emails to clients instead.
• Prompting clients to opt into digital communications rather than paper, as it’s not only better for the environment but easier to keep a record of.
• Looking at providers such as banks to see if we can find more sustainable options for clients.
• Opting for Teams meetings where we can. Meetings always used to take place face-to-face but this isn’t always essential if it’s just a catch up. Virtual calls can be just as efficient, and require much less carbon expenditure than travelling.
• Switching to more efficient suppliers. Renewable energy companies cost the same and can provide reassurance that you are using a carbon-efficient provider.

We are also working with Giki Zero to provide our team with access to even more information. The app is designed to help users to better understand their carbon footprint and provides practical steps to reduce it in a realistic way. Every step comes with tips and a handy to-do list to keep track of everything we’re doing for the planet in a fun and engaging way.

At Monahans, we will be utilising the platform to create firmwide and team challenges to reduce our impact on the environment over the long-term. Setting monthly challenges will keep employees engaged and by offering a range of activities, employees can find what really motivates them from an environmental perspective. The app promotes healthy competition and will encourage our teams to commit to making positive changes. Internal communications will be sent to employees on a regular basis to educate them on new findings and company initiatives.

By adopting an environmentally conscious culture at Monahans, we can be sure that we are attracting like-minded clients and top talent. And by implementing sustainable practices, we will likely experience increased operational efficiency, reducing resource consumption and waste.

We have found that creating a green culture boosts employee morale and engagement, as staff members take pride in contributing to a socially responsible and environmentally friendly workplace. Ultimately, our commitment to environmental consciousness is a strategic investment that not only benefits the planet but also positively impacts Monahans resilience as a business in the future.

If you would like further information or have any questions on Monahans’ ESG policies, please contact one of our team today.

Stephanie Hurst