Beyond Net Zero: How to embrace holistic approaches for a greener future

Written by Helen Onyeaka (pictured), deputy director of the Birmingham Institute for Sustainability & Climate Action (BISCA) and associate professor in Chemical Engineering at the University of Birmingham. This blog is part of the Sustainable Business Series campaign.

In recent decades, sustainability has become a central concept in the quest for a greener future.

Achieving net zero emissions has become a common, sometimes singular, goal amongst organisations of all shapes and sizes, and across all industries.

However, sustainability extends beyond this benchmark. It focuses on optimal uses of resources to enable a good quality of life now, while maintaining the resources required for people and the planet to thrive long into the future.

Many equate sustainability with achieving net zero emissions, but it encompasses many opportunities to do much more. It involves a combination of different measures to enhance resource productivity, restore ecological balance, foster social equity, and bolster economic security.

So, what else should you consider?

Preserving natural habitats and encouraging planting of trees are key strategies used to maintain biologically diverse and healthy ecosystems.

For instance, the Amazon rainforest contributes significantly to carbon storage and the protection of species’ habitats, as numerous researchers have shown.

Preserving and enhancing biodiversity directly relates to environmental sustainability, which aims to maintain and improve the natural resources and ecosystem services that support human life and well-being.

Participating in and encouraging a circular economy also plays a critical role in achieving sustainability.

Focusing on reducing resource consumption while extending the use of resources helps manage financial resources, goods and materials.

Unlike the linear economy model that is characterised by the ‘take-make-dispose’ model, the circular economy emphasises ‘reduce-reuse-recycle’.

Companies like Lego are practicing circular economy, altering packaging and other product materials in a bid to reduce waste and extend product lifecycles.

Lego has decreased its use of cardboard and innovated with plant-based parts, showing how circular economy strategies can be adopted to boost business sustainability.

Social sustainability is vital role to addressing how people are affected by environmental and economic improvements, focusing on social justice issues like poverty, equity, and vulnerable communities’ access to basic needs.

For business, this can include policies linked to their own operational practices around equality and diversity as well as childcare, and good governance and stakeholder management.

For example, the World Economic Forum recognises Unilever for its Sustainable Living Plan, which is exploring not only lowering greenhouse gas emissions but improving water management and the living standards of people within its value chains.

Right here in Birmingham is the Clean Kilo, the UK’s largest zero-waste supermarket in Birmingham. It takes a holistic approach to sustainability, promoting the use of refillable containers to eliminate single-use plastics.

This promotes environmental sustainability by reducing waste and carbon footprint, fosters social sustainability through community engagement and education on eco-friendly practices, and supports economic sustainability by sourcing locally and offering affordable, sustainable alternatives.

Ultimately, doing what we can to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the production and use of energy is important, but it is one part of a wider approach towards sustainability needed to improve the global climate, the environment, and society’s quality of life. This more holistic approach works towards a greener and more resilient future that benefits everyone.

Helen Onyeaka is a deputy director of the Birmingham Institute for Sustainability & Climate Action (BISCA).

BISCA focuses on tackling global sustainability and climate challenges through world-leading research, education, and partnerships. BISCA aims to inspire and facilitate climate action not only for the academic community but also for policymakers, decision-makers, and society at large.

The institute focuses on areas such as clean air and water, biodiversity conservation, clean energy, and sustainable transportation.  BISCA's initiatives include generating new knowledge to inform climate action and developing multi-stakeholder collaborations to solve real-world sustainability issues.