🌱8 must-haves for a solid climate transition plan
+ 3 tips to keep your plan on track
Happy Monday! Every Monday we suit up and get serious - digging into a climate topic, rounding up the past week’s Good(s) News and sharing updates from across FTF, so you’re never out of the loop.
A few years into carbon accounting, you’ve celebrated setting a net zero target, you looked at moving to renewable energy or switching fuels…and now you are wondering what’s expected of you next? Unless you still haven’t measured you emissions yet…in which case this month’s sponsor might have you covered!
What you need next is a solid plan for your gas emissions! This week we break it down into key elements.
If you use this as a cosmic sign to finally get started on yours, we would love for you to tell us all about it, what was easy, what was tough and what you absolutely nailed!
For now, let’s dive in…
Greenly has worked with brands like LVMH, HelloFresh, L’OREAL, Lacoste and Huawei. Keen to learn more about how they can help your brand? Check out their website.
> In Focus
Turning Ambitious Targets into Real Results
In recent years, more and more consumer brands have stepped up with bold promises to hit net zero carbon emissions. But setting those goals is just the beginning. Take Oatly, for example—they’ve vowed to cut their climate footprint by 70% per litre of product by 2029. And Allbirds? They’re aiming to reach net zero by 2030. These ambitious goals signal a positive shift, but setting targets is just the first step. To achieve net zero, brands need a concrete, actionable strategy.That’s where something called a climate transition plan comes into play.
What Exactly Is a Climate Transition Plan (and Why Do You Need One)?
The term climate transition plan first popped up in the finance world, thanks to the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). It’s their way of encouraging companies to be upfront about how they plan to go green. In short, a climate transition plan is like a roadmap for companies showing how they’ll move from business as usual to a low-carbon future.
Why is this important? Setting ambitious targets is great, but without a clear plan, those goals can quickly turn into wishful thinking. A climate transition plan helps brands turn those big ambitions into actual steps, guiding them through how to lower emissions through their business operations, supply chains and financial planning.
For those companies that haven’t yet got a net zero target, reporting frameworks like ESRS, the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and TCFD are emphasising the need for climate transition plans while the draft of the new B Corp standards, due to be finalised next year, make having one a minimum requirement of certification.
So now we know the why, let’s have a look at the what…
Eight essential elements of a good climate transition plan
We’ve looked at the key ingredients of a plan and although it’s rare to find a brand’s entire climate transition plan in the public domain, we’ve dug around for a real life example to illustrate as many elements as possible! The eight essential elements are:
Clear net zero target: A specific, science-based target, aligned with the Paris Agreement, for reducing greenhouse gas emissions across all operations. A good example of detailed net zero targets can be found on the final page of tea retailer Bird & Blend’s 2022 Environmental Statement.
Short- and long-term actions: A roadmap outlining the specific steps to be taken in both the short term (next 1-5 years) and long term (beyond 5 years) to reduce emissions. Shoe company Allbirds break down all the different actions they have committed to which will help them hit their targets on their website.
Investment in low-carbon tech: Commit cash to greener technologies, carbon reduction initiatives and renewable energy sources. Distillers Bruichladdich are investing in a long-term project, dubbed Hyladdie, which aims to decarbonise through hydrogen technology.
Supply chain engagement: Strategies to collaborate with suppliers to lower emissions across the entire value chain. Rice brand Tilda worked with the farmers in their supply chain to reduce the methane emissions associated with certain growing techniques.
Governance and accountability: Establish who’s in charge of making sure the climate transition plan is implemented, with board-level oversight and frequent progress reviews.
Risk Management: Plans to mitigate climate risks, both physical (e.g. extreme weather) and transitional (e.g. regulatory changes), and build resilience. Nudie Jeans share details of some of the risks they have identified in their 2023 Impact Report.
Just Transition Considerations: To make sure that the shift to a low-carbon economy is inclusive and equitable we have to address the social impacts of the transition. That involves supporting workers, communities, and suppliers who may be affected by the move to sustainable practices, providing opportunities for upskilling, job creation in green sectors, and ensuring fair treatment throughout the transition process. Beer brand Brewgooder is working within its Fair Trade programme to use a more climate resilient grain. Dr. Bronner’s also has a people-centric approach to their environmental impact, they promote a just transition by publicly supporting the Green New Deal and working with local and small-scale companies to build economic resilience.
Transparent Reporting: Regular, public reporting of progress against targets, ideally using standardised metrics. We’re going to go back to Allbirds here because we like their Flight Status Report, lots of detail here to get stuck into!
Tips to Keep Your Plan on Track
Even the best plans can go off the rails without a bit of guidance. Here’s how to make sure your climate transition plan stays on course:
Set mini goals: Breaking your long-term target into smaller, bite-sized goals makes it easier to track progress and adjust as needed.
Get everyone involved: From employees to investors to customers, making sure everyone’s on the same page creates a company-wide commitment to sustainability.
Stay agile: As technology and regulations change, so should your plan. Flexibility is key when navigating the unpredictable road to net zero.
Never stop learning: Stay updated on the latest innovations and climate research. Keep an eye on what others are doing so you can continually refine your approach.
> Follow up with…
Guide: Climate Transition Action Plans, We Mean Business Coalition
Article: What do we mean by Just Transition? Climate Justice Alliance
> Last week in consumer goods x climate…
The Good(s) News
»Up-and-coming brands
🎯 MOJU announced that they are now B Corp certified!
🎯 Reposit announced their returnable platform on beauty and personal care with Arran Aromatics. Alongside this, Beauty Kitchen products will also be available in the returnable packaging through Abel and Cole. The Reposit returnable system incentivises consumers to return their empty packaging after use with a ‘return for reward’ framework, which gives them a money-off reward redeemable against their next purchase.
»Bigger organisations
Want good news sooner? We post our top 5 stories in our LinkedIn newsletter every Friday! If your CPG brand has good news to share, let us know.👇
> In case you missed it
Want more? Here’s what’s happening across FTF at the moment…
We shared a little bit about our key takeaways from B Lab UK’s B Corp Festival in Oxford over on LinkedIn
Leone, Jenny and Lexi got to see each other in the flesh in the Big Apple during NY Climate week, we can’t wait to hear how it went!
Our wonderful Ruby has been listed as one of Edie’s The future leaders of sustainability: 30 under 30 - Class of 24. We are both buzzing for her and glad to see her work recognised.
Want more? Hang tight for ‘The Check-Out’ this Thursday for the latest brands in our basket. In the meantime, if you have any topics that you would like us to dig into, ping us an email on info@followingthefootprints.com to say hi!
Much love,
Team FTF
 | A guest post by
|