Set up a working group

A working group can help your business make a lasting effort to reduce carbon emissions. Shared responsibility for setting goals and reporting back ensures the work isn’t left to one person.

Benefits of working together

Reducing your carbon footprint is a long term project. When you take the SME Climate Commitment the goal is to halve emissions by 2030 and get to ‘net zero’ by 2050.

Setting up a working group helps your business:

  • share workload and responsibility
  • meet regularly and track progress
  • keep going when employees move on
  • make a long term commitment

How to set up your group

If your business has multiple employees, you can set up a group within your organisation. If you are a 1-person business, consider organising with others in your local area.

You can follow these steps to set up a working group:

  1. Establish group guidelines and ways of working.
  2. Appoint a leader and scribe.
  3. Write down a shared understanding of the problem.
  4. Come up with ideas for solving it.
  5. Decide on specific tasks and divide them.
  6. Ensure that each group member has responsibility.
  7. Decide on deadlines and regular follow-up meetings.

For an example, read how Companies House formed an environmental working group to reduce emissions and waste disposal.

Hiring a consultant or university

You can also pay to hire a sustainability consultant or work with a university to form a group of people that will advise your business.