{"id":34492,"date":"2025-03-18T17:37:22","date_gmt":"2025-03-18T16:37:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/?p=34492"},"modified":"2025-03-18T17:37:53","modified_gmt":"2025-03-18T16:37:53","slug":"empowering-employees-to-help-mitigate-climate-change","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/2025\/03\/18\/empowering-employees-to-help-mitigate-climate-change\/","title":{"rendered":"Empowering employees to help mitigate climate change."},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/euagenda.eu\/publications\/download\/619471\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Document<\/span><\/a>\u00a0provides <strong>a framework of recommendations for businesses and business representative organisations to promote inclusiveness and Green Deal policies within their workforce<\/strong> with the aim of<!--more-->\u00a0<strong>empower employees to become agents of change<\/strong> in combating climate change and addressing related vulnerabilities and inequalities. The document is based on preliminary findings of the ACCTING project.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Key findings of the ACCTING project<\/strong> point out that many entrepreneurs have been affected by recent crises, with <strong>The increase in energy prices in 2021 more effectively incentivized behavioral change<\/strong>. Some entrepreneurs have adopted or are considering measures and technologies such as installing solar panels, renovating premises, using heat pumps or solar boilers and changing software to reduce energy consumption. On the other hand, other initiatives such as increasing the use of environmentally sustainable products, improving water distribution infrastructure, avoiding chemical materials, producing and selling sustainable products and promoting sustainable mobility, <strong>encountered resistance from entrepreneurs due to higher costs<\/strong>The ACCTING research also found:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Lack of a strong and generally accepted environmental culture<\/strong> in corporations, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and other stakeholders, including low awareness of the relevance of energy efficiency measures (EEM) and low prioritization of environmental incentives.<\/li>\n<li><strong>SMEs are generally not well equipped<\/strong> to effectively implement environmental measures due to lack of expertise.<\/li>\n<li>There is <strong>low level of trust between energy auditors and businesses<\/strong>, which are reluctant to implement EEM and energy audits due to the potential economic and operational burden.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Regulations supporting environmental practices are very complex<\/strong>, measures are often difficult to access and coordination between the various public actors involved is necessary.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The document then formulates <strong>recommendations for businesses\/employers to mitigate the negative impacts of Green Deal policies<\/strong>Between <strong>general recommendations<\/strong> includes:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Developing a comprehensive educational program on climate change<\/strong> for all employees, aimed at informing about threats and vulnerabilities, engaging in creative dialogue about collective solutions and supporting behavioral change at the individual and collective level, with a possible focus on health and inclusiveness (including healthy eating), green mobility, energy saving, response to natural disasters, biodiversity and inclusion.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Supporting and motivating innovation and engagement<\/strong> by rewarding ideas that save energy, facilitate recycling, actively replace unhealthy foods, support green transport and overall help the company achieve ambitious environmental and social goals, in line with a well-thought-out ESG (environmental, social and governance) strategy, ideally co-created with the active participation of employees and local communities, with an emphasis on identifying and addressing vulnerabilities.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Implementation of Green Deal measures within the working environment<\/strong>, for example, serving local and organic food and eliminating plastic in the canteen, creating carpooling plans, supporting cycling and public transport (incentive schemes, cooperation with local authorities), promoting energy savings, encouraging employee participation in energy communities and recycling.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Focus on measures to improve work-life balance<\/strong>, taking into account the new challenges arising from climate change, and including these measures in a detailed corporate diversity and inclusion strategy and action plan (part of ESG) that reflects the objectives of the Green Deal and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular in the areas of health and well-being, gender equality and reducing inequalities.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Initiating cooperation schemes with SMEs<\/strong> at the site to jointly provide training and education to employees on climate change and the Green Deal, enabling them to become agents of change in SMEs and their communities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The document also contains <strong>recommendations for business associations and other entities representing businesses<\/strong> (e.g. chambers of commerce, clusters):<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Promoting best practices<\/strong> among members, enabling the exchange of knowledge and experience through special sections at conferences, developing sector-specific guidelines, organizing local events focused on sustainability, promoting local and sustainable products, organizing regular trainings, and creating awards for innovations and best practices in the field of inclusion and green practices.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Actively anticipating regulations and promoting the fight against inequalities<\/strong> in the fight against climate change at local, regional and national levels.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Engaging in social dialogue<\/strong> with trade unions, civil society organisations and local communities to create \u201calliances for change\u201d and regulatory transformations, driven by employees and supported\/motivated by employers.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Support for research and innovation activities<\/strong>that address climate change within members&#039; work environments in collaboration with academia and civil society, and supporting related research and innovation programs at local\/national level.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Assisting members in identifying and applying for sustainable funding opportunities<\/strong> (grants or loans).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In the section <strong>&quot;Better Stories&quot;<\/strong> the document represents <strong>inspiring grassroots initiatives<\/strong> as promising practices that can spark ideas to support individual and collective behavioral change in line with the Green Deal. Examples include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Greek hotel<\/strong>, which received the EU Ecolabel thanks to increased energy efficiency.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Italian businesswoman<\/strong> operating a micro-business led by women who, despite economic difficulties, have implemented changes to reduce environmental impact, such as recycling and waste management.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Norwegian company<\/strong> seeking environmental and ethical sustainability in the fashion industry through recycling waste materials, avoiding chemicals, and controlling working conditions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Network of small social enterprises in Flanders<\/strong>, which carries out energy audits and implements energy saving measures (e.g. insulation) in the homes of socially and financially vulnerable people and employs people with limited job opportunities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The recommendations in the document relate to the following: <strong>Green Deal policy areas<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Mobilizing industry for a green and circular economy<\/li>\n<li>Ensuring clean, affordable and secure energy<\/li>\n<li>Sustainable and smart mobility strategy<\/li>\n<li>Farm to Fork Strategy<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The document concludes by reporting on <strong>ACCTING project<\/strong>, which is funded by the EU and aims to understand the impact of Green Deal policies on vulnerable groups, prevent inequalities and produce knowledge and innovation to support behavioural change. The project runs until May 2025. It also lists the authors, contributors and information on funding from Horizon 2020. <em><strong>Spring<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Glossary of key terms<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>ACCTING:<\/strong> The name of an EU-funded project aimed at understanding the impact of Green Deal policies on vulnerable groups, preventing inequalities and generating knowledge and innovation to support behavioural change.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Green Deal:<\/strong> A set of European Union policy initiatives to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. It includes various measures in areas such as energy, transport, agriculture and industry.<\/li>\n<li><strong>ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance):<\/strong> Three main factors used to measure the sustainability and ethical impact of an investment or company. They include environmental aspects (e.g. emissions, resource use), social aspects (e.g. working conditions, human rights) and governance aspects (e.g. business ethics, transparency).<\/li>\n<li><strong>EEMs (Environmental and Energy-related Measures):<\/strong> Measures related to environmental protection and efficient energy use that businesses can implement (e.g. installation of solar panels, insulation of buildings).<\/li>\n<li><strong>EAs (Energy Audits):<\/strong> Energy audits that assess the energy consumption of buildings or processes and identify opportunities to reduce it and improve energy efficiency.<\/li>\n<li><strong>SMEs (Small and Medium-sized Enterprises):<\/strong> Small and medium-sized enterprises that have a certain number of employees and turnover, defined by European Union legislation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Inclusiveness:<\/strong> Ensuring that all individuals and groups in society are included, have equal opportunities and are not excluded or discriminated against. In the context of the Green Deal, this means taking into account the needs and vulnerabilities of different population groups.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sustainable mobility:<\/strong> Transport systems and practices that minimize negative environmental impacts are economically viable and socially just. This includes promoting public transport, cycling, walking and low-emission vehicles.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Circular Economy:<\/strong> An economic system in which resources are kept in circulation for as long as possible, waste is minimized, and the value of products and materials is maximized.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Smart Specialization Strategy:<\/strong> A strategic approach to economic development based on identifying and supporting the unique strengths and potential of regions, often with an emphasis on innovation and sustainability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The document provides a framework of recommendations for businesses and business representative organisations to promote inclusiveness and Green Deal policies within their workforce, with the aim of:<\/p>","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-klimaticka-zmena"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34492"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34492\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.co2news.sk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}