How to create your climate action plan

The first step in building a climate action plan is understanding your business’s current environmental impact.

Find out how to measure your current climate impact with the VisitScotland climate action workbook, which will guide you through gathering this data. It provides a user-friendly framework to measure key aspects of your business’s carbon emissions.

Key areas to measure include:

• Energy consumption – track your electricity and gas usage.
• Transport – record emissions generated by company vehicles and staff travel.
• Waste management – assess the environmental impact of your waste disposal and recycling practices.

Now you have your first year of relevant data, the next step is to analyse your carbon footprint and set SMART targets.

• Specific – define clear, specific goals. For example, “reduce electricity consumption by 15%”.
• Measurable – ensure your targets can be tracked. Use the data you gathered to quantify your goals. For example, track kWh for energy consumption.
• Achievable – make sure the targets are realistic and take into consideration your business’s capacity and resources. Start with small wins to build momentum.
• Relevant – align your targets with your business goals. For example, reduced energy costs will save you expense while also helping to protect the environment.
• Time-bound – set a deadline for achieving each target. For example, “achieve a 10% reduction in business travel emissions within the next year".

More examples of SMART climate targets:

• Reduce energy consumption by 10% in the next 12 months.
• Transition 50% of the business fleet to electric vehicles by 2026.
• Achieve a 30% reduction in waste sent to landfill within 3 years.

It’s advisable to focus on areas that have the highest environmental impact. Based on your data from the climate action workbook, prioritise actions that will make the most significant reduction in your carbon footprint.

How to prioritise actions:

• Energy efficiency – if energy consumption is the biggest source of emissions, start by upgrading to energy-efficient lighting, installing smart thermostats, or researching how to switch to renewable energy sources.
• Sustainable transportation – if business travel or vehicle emissions are high, think about how you can transition to low-emission vehicles, encourage the use of public transportation for staff, or promote cycling and walking for local trips.
• Waste management – implement strategies to reduce, reuse, and recycle if waste management is major contributor to your footprint. Switch away from single-use plastics and optimise waste segregation.

With your targets and actions outlined, create a structured action plan that includes the following:

• Action steps – define what you need to do, eg switch to LED lighting in all guest rooms by April.
• Priority level – identify the priority level of each action based on its impact and urgency for the business.
• Timeline – include deadlines for each action and target.
• Assign ownership – assign roles and responsibilities to staff members to ensure accountability.
• Resources – identify the resources needed for each action, including budget and personnel.

Examples of sustainable improvements

Switch to LED lighting in guest rooms by April

• Responsible – Facilities Manager.
• Requirements – budget for new lights, electrician for installation.

Implement a waste segregation system for recycling within 3 months

• Responsible – Operations Manager.
• Resources - recyclable bins, signage and employee training materials with clear instructions for staff on how to effectively recycle waste.

Once your action plan is in place, it’s crucial to monitor progress regularly. The VisitScotland climate action workbook lets you track new data against your targets.

• Make regular updates – update the data in the workbook every month to track your energy consumption, waste management, and transport emissions.
• Review your targets – regularly check if your actions are helping you meet your targets. If progress is slower than projected, identify the barriers and adjust your plan accordingly.
• Conduct an annual review – carry out a comprehensive review at the end of the year to assess overall progress and adjust your strategy for the upcoming year.

Transparency is a great motivator when it comes to climate action. Create a shareable plan from the climate action workbook targets and results to share your progress with staff, customers and stakeholders and highlight your commitment to sustainability.

• Announce milestones – celebrate milestones such as hitting a waste reduction target or completing a major energy efficiency project, to maintain momentum and inspire others.
• Acknowledge and reward staff – introduce a Sustainability Champion programme with prizes recognising staff from their efforts. This could range from eco-friendly gifts to extra time off work.
• Use digital channels – celebrate your success via your website, social media, or in annual sustainability reports.