What is a Sustainability Plan?
A Sustainability Plan or a Low Carbon Transition Plan (LCTP) is a schedule based sustainability action plan that outlines the changes an organization can make in order to reach its sustainability goals. The plan compiles what the facility or company has done thus far to decrease its environmental impact, while outlining a schedule of what needs to be done to fully comply and reach environmental goals in the future. An LCTP should include ambitious near and long-term science-based targets which are in line with the latest climate science to achieve a 1.5 °C drop in the Earth’s atmosphere.
The first aspect of an LCTP involves identifying the culture of the facility. Before future environmental impact goals can be established, it is important to know the viewpoint of the facility (at each level) regarding sustainability. The approach of implementing an LCTP for a facility whose culture is passionate about lessening environmental impacts will be different than the approach of a facility who provides resistance to those goals.
Next, baseline emission and environmental impact information needs to be gathered on the facility. This can be done through taking inventory of all carbon emitting processes and associated emissions. The specific targets of this approach can be broken into scope 1, scope 2, and scope 3.
- Scope 1 includes greenhouse gasses that are emitted directly from emission sources that are controlled or owned by an organization.
- Scope 2 emissions are indirect GHG emissions associated with the purchase of electricity, steam, heat, or cooling that occur at that facility[1].
- Scope 3 emissions are associated with processes that are not owned or controlled by the facility. Although the facility is not directly emitting emissions, the carbon footprint exists through its value chain which include production, marketing and transport.
By utilizing the categorization process described above, those creating an LCTP can synthesize a clear picture of baseline emissions for any given facility.
Once the current environmental impact of a facility is established, the next step is to create and clarify the goals or targets for a reduction in the carbon footprint/Green House Gas (GHG) emissions based on Science Based Target Initiatives[2]. These goals provide a clearly defined route for companies on how to reduce their GHG emissions through the implementation of more sustainable technology and less resource consumptive practices. The targets are considered to be “science based” if they align with the climate-based science strategies to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement which limits global warming to a maximum of 2°C (but aims to keep it under 1.5°C).
Once these new target goals are set, a plan must be drawn up with strategies on how to help the facility reach those goals. The majority of the LCTP will describe specific steps to take and the timeline on which to do so, in order to reach the targeted goals. Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) consulting companies such as SEC are available to provide this service and can support companies looking to lessen their impact on the. Each step in the LCTP will be carefully explained, establishing why it is necessary, while providing answers to any questions that may arise along the way.