Our research phase was long and complex. We began by exploring the landscape of investing, green finance, and solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This included delving into carbon exchange programs, carbon credits, and the offset market, uncovering the many agencies involved in regulating, discrediting, and supporting credit markets. The findings highlighted Net Zero as a key focus, a globally supported initiative backed by the United Nations and institutions like the University of Oxford. This direction led us to study the ecosystem of Net Zero, its credit system, and the systemic behaviors influencing its adoption.
We found that creating and implementing Net Zero strategies was more challenging than anticipated. Many companies faced issues with inconsistent messaging, communication, and employee engagement, leaving employees feeling disconnected from the values and expectations. Through interviews and workshops, we learned that employees' willingness to engage in sustainability often depended on their personal pro-environmental behaviors, such as recycling or cycling to work. However, a recurring concern was that sustainability initiatives felt like an added burden, with employees believing leadership should bear greater responsibility for the company’s carbon footprint.
Insights & Defining the Problem
Net Zero is progressing too slow.
Big corporations have the capacity to install and adapt complicated systems to help them achieve a greener existence, but smaller companies do not.
Carbon emissions from tertiary sources, like procurement and supply chain are complicated and cannot be measured easily as regulations vary between regions and countries.
Green Finance and investment in ESG is sought for, investors often divesting from companies who do not enact a sustainability initiative.
Investors need access to ESG and Green funds to meet their objectives and that of their clients.
Change transformation is costly and risky in any case, sustainable transformation is also costly for companies.
