Green Plan Creation

Introduction to Green/Sustainability Action Plans

An organisation builds a Sustainability Action Plan to outline its roadmap for achieving sustainability objectives, particularly if it has set ambitious targets like reaching net zero emissions within a specified timeframe. Typically covering a two to five-year period, this plan serves as a static document, though the timeline duration is determined by the organisation itself. 

The primary aim of the Sustainability Action Plan is to integrate Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles and sustainability practices into all facets of the organisation's activities. It often originates from a vision set at the executive level, with the plan detailing the strategies to realise that vision.

The Importance of Sustainability Reporting

In conjunction with the Sustainability Action Plan, organisations often publish annual Sustainability Reports to track their progress against the outlined objectives. Together, these documents serve as vital communication tools, showcasing the organisation's sustainability journey to a broad range of stakeholders. 

Sustainability Action Plans are voluntary initiatives undertaken by organisations seeking to enhance their sustainability performance. 

Beyond internal planning and reporting, many organisations disclose their sustainability performance through various ESG reporting frameworks. The data collected for the Sustainability Action Plan can sometimes fulfil the reporting requirements of frameworks like SECR, GRI, GRESB, and SASB. 

Organisations may incorporate responses from ESG reporting frameworks into their Sustainability Action Plans to demonstrate their progress towards their goals.

Strategies for Green/Sustainability Planning

To start to build out the plan for carbon reduction organisations can use several methods.  One of which is the SMART framework, (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Timebound).  From a base framework such as this, we can create a realistic targeted approach to emission reduction.   

Apart from the emissions reduction, the plan should also include any other factors that help from a social value perspective.  An example content list is below.