Greater transparency for organisations goals and actions towards climate change is essential to ensure we hit net zero. Greenwash commitments are dishonest and help no one. However, the worry is that we inadvertently mix honest and open efforts in an imperfect world with greenwash.
Imperfect systems
Let us take for example REGO backed renewable electricity. REGOs have been around for many years and encouraged a significant renewable energy uptake, but there have been questions about the traceability of renewable energy and whether some energy suppliers are buying the certificates on the open market and not generating themselves. To be clear they’re not double counting, only selling energy as green that someone else produced.
Now, I think many would agree that improved transparency here would be better and indeed members of Rutland Forums are involved in a project with Granular Energy to improve this transparency. However, we should not dismiss the REGOs system simply because it has been imperfect, rather we act to perfect it.
Another example is with buying HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) fuel for HGVs rather than diesel. Here systems such as the Renewable Fuel Assurance Scheme traces the source of this fuel. As in any system it will have limitations, but again it is under constant improvement supported by Rutland Forums.
Help perfect.
The clock is ticking, and the climate crisis cannot allow for inaction. I read on public forums companies exiting REGOs or delaying HVO adoption due to, usually unfounded, transparency fears. This reaction is the opposite of what we need. Business must make the bold choices to decarbonise now and be praised for doing so whilst we perfect the systems to improve transparency.
The quote is by Winston Churchill – apparently!