To optimise their impact and achieve results in the short term, organisations should strengthen their efforts in areas where they have already begun to act and should prioritise key projects. Acting on ‘low- hanging fruit’ will help to build momentum, while acting on projects that generate savings will provide resources to support the overall roadmap implementation.

Examples of projects to be considered from the start of the implementation phase:

• Design and implement a responsible travelling policy, including criteria for essential travel, differentiated targets per reason for travel and travel validation procedures, to maintain the volume of travel at around 2023 levels.
• Systematically purchase lighter, lower-emission, adapted vehicles for all planned replacements and new procurements to reduce the volume of fuel purchased and the cost of procurement.
• Reduce electricity consumption through “no regret adaptations” to improve efficiency (all new premises by default plus large, long- term carbonated energy consuming sites) and waste management plans.
• Expand renewable energy programmes, complete ongoing solarisation initiatives and design subsequent solarisation phases.
• Make changes to the supply chain. Conduct market analysis to identify alternative items and sources, define general and specific procurement criteria and encourage suppliers to change their practices.

Use every opportunity to integrate standard sustainability practices and requirements in every new infrastructure investment, lease or building contract, whether for a new location or for planned renovations. Focus on:

• Sustainable energy production (equipping new/renovated infrastructure and facilities with photovoltaic systems upfront; when back- up generators are installed, make sure they are properly sized based on consumption needs (not too large).
• Low consumption electrical appliances.
• The thermal efficiency of buildings (cool roofs, insulation, etc.).

New projects
Instead of engaging in a massive transformation plan affecting all existing country offices and programmes, use new project locations to implement the climate and environmental strategies laid out in the roadmap. For example, in an organisation with a project duration of approximately 7 years, this would mean that most programmes would benefit from solutions by 2030.

Contract renewal
Identify opportunities for new goods and services contracts and tenders, at HQ and field levels, and integrate environmental and climate criteria into decision trees. A good opportunity to do this is when a supplier contract is coming to an end, and both parties are looking to renew. Focus on the following:

• Capital goods (vehicles and IT).
• Transport services (transporters and travel agencies).
• General services (finance and administration, pension funds, building leases and IT services).
• Procurement contracts (food, emergency relief items and agricultural products).

‘Hotspots’ can be defined as countries/ projects where GHG emissions are the highest, and where the organisation’s presence is due to continue beyond 3 to 5 years. Energy, fleet, procurement, and freight have a significant impact on the carbon footprint in these hotspots.

In addition to new or planned investments, gradually update a list of long-term hotspots with particularly poor climate and environmental records. Each organisation will identify priority domains of intervention, based on their specific emissions profiles.

For example, a Climate Action Accelerator partner organisation has decided to focus on 15 country programmes out of a total of around 100, as these account for 80% of the total energy footprint.

Ultimately, implementing climate and environmental strategies is about the way programmes are being designed and implemented. The success of a roadmap implementation plan is therefore closely connected to the ability of programme teams to integrate these dimensions into the project design and annual budgets

• Identify and highlight operational co-benefits in the communication strategy.
• Put climate issues on the agenda of programme team meetings (such as the annual country directors’ meeting).
• Create success stories with ‘early adopter’ country offices: encourage cultural change by identifying supportive ‘early adopter’ country directors who are convinced of the need to adapt the organisation and are willing to take a leadership role in implementing climate and environmental strategies.
• During a second phase, bring all country programmes on board to implement the roadmap (in accordance with the implementation principles above), distributing clear responsibilities and accountability lines. This implies developing workplans at the country level. Appropriate data collection and reporting should be developed early on (Y1 of roadmap implementation).