It’s a fairly well-known fact that 100 companies were responsible for 71% of total greenhouse gas emissions between 1988 and 2015. People have taken this stat and plastered it everywhere, running with the idea that big businesses are the main polluters on our planet. That remains the case to this day – particularly across massive sectors like energy, transport, and manufacturing. It leads everyone to believe that all businesses are the problem, but that’s not totally true.
Many businesses and industries are striving for a more eco-friendly future with key implementations to reduce carbon emissions and greenhouse gases. Some of the work being done is startling, so let’s go through some of the leading industries around the world to discover how they’re making big sustainability changes.
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Energy Companies Invest In Renewable Energy Sources
The energy sector is obviously the biggest polluter on the planet because its whole shtick involves digging up natural resources and burning non-renewable energy sources all over the world. And yet, this is also the industry with the most potential for change – and some of the biggest oil and gas companies in the world are trying to initiate a switch to renewable and eco-friendly energy sources.
Massive energy companies like BP, Shell, and TotalEnergies are investing in:
- Solar energy developments – including the ability to store solar energy for future use
- Wind farms for truly renewable energy
- Developing clean fuel alternatives, like green hydrogen and biofuels
Massive projects are underway everywhere to slowly reduce the world’s dependence on energy sources that can’t be renewed and will burn away while filling the atmosphere with greenhouse gases. You could argue that nothing else matters if energy companies don’t carry on with this research and help implement more renewable energy into our daily lives.
Waste Management Companies Focus On Reducing Waste
What is waste? Essentially, it’s something you throw away that can never be used again. Waste management companies collect and throw away tonnes of waste every week – and it all goes to landfills where it gets burned or destroyed. As you can imagine, not very good for the environment.
So it’s good to see companies in the waste management sector take a stand and initiate projects and ideas to reduce the overall amount of waste humans produce. This begins with simple concepts like:
- Developing new ways to reuse different materials or items that people/companies throw away
- Working on new and more eco-efficient recycling methods
- Finding out how to recycle as many materials as possible
It all forms around the vision of throwing less waste into landfills and either recycling or reusing as much as they can. Some waste management companies want to take this even further and improve their own efficiency during daily jobs. It’s not uncommon for a company to use a garbage truck route app to plot out the most optimal and energy-efficient route throughout the day. While it might not seem that important, this can cut down on how much fuel a waste management company uses, meaning they also lower their carbon footprints.
The Transportation Industry Moves Away From Fossil Fuels
Transportation encompasses all ways of getting around in vehicles, such as:
- Cars/automotive
- Trains
- Planes
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ll have noticed that the automotive industry has been all in on electric vehicles in the last decade or so. Every major car manufacturer now has a strong lineup of EVs – and some will only produce electric vehicles. This extends to vans and trucks, offering cleaner ways for people to get around on the roads.
Trains have, fortunately, been electrified for some time in major cities, and work continues to electrify as much of the train transport network as possible. Planes remain the biggest problem, but that’s where the latest developments come in. We mentioned biofuels earlier on when discussing the energy sector, and transportation companies are increasingly interested in them. Biofuels act in the same way as gasoline, only they’re organically derived and renewable. An innovation like this could mean we’re able to fill up planes and other large vehicles with renewable energy sources, changing the fate of the earth as we know it.
Construction & Retail Companies Seek Sustainability
The construction industry has also been a historically terrible polluter because it uses many unsustainable raw materials. Homes and buildings are built using materials that can never be recycled or won’t biodegrade. Think of all the renovations that happen around the world – or the new houses that are built – and consider all the waste materials that are left over. Where do they go? Straight into landfill sites.
Construction companies have needed to change for many years, so it’s nice to see switches happening on the sustainability front. You’ll now find a greater array of biodegradable or sustainable materials in construction projects. Common concepts include:
- Bamboo
- Recycled steel
- Hempcrete
- Rammed earth
- Cork
- Recycled plastic
Using materials like these is a game-changer because it means construction companies can finish products and either recycle their waste or let it biodegrade naturally without releasing carbon emissions. It also means that future projects on buildings with sustainable materials see a reduction in waste.
A similar thing is happening throughout the retail industry, only with different materials, of course. Companies know that it’s not good for the environment if they keep making clothes or shoes out of non-recyclable or “bad” materials. Instead, they’re shifting to recycled plastics or polymers, biodegradable textiles, and so on. It’s the same goal as construction: these newer and more eco-friendly materials cut a company’s carbon footprint and also help their clothes be recycled or safely removed in the future.
It’s all too easy to become bogged down by negative news stories involving companies and the environment. Could the bigger industries do more? Yes, but this post shows they’re at least trying. Reading through these ideas and seeing the initiatives and projects in place can give you a lot of hope for a greener future. If massive industries and businesses start adopting greener practices and do their bit for the planet, then perhaps it won’t be as doom and gloom as some people predict.