How We Committed to Net Zero — And How Your Organization Can Too

At Impact Hub Vienna, sustainability has always been part of our DNA. But this year, we decided to take a major leap forward by developing an ambitious Sustainability Roadmap aimed at achieving net-zero emissions by 2030. 

This roadmap is the result of months of careful planning, collaboration, and reflection. In this blog post, we want to share not only what this roadmap looks like but also the challenges we faced and the lessons we learned along the way —and to inspire other organizations to follow suit. Whether you’re just starting out or further along in your sustainability efforts, these insights can guide you in developing a meaningful roadmap toward net zero.

1. Start by measuring your current emissions

The first step in our sustainability journey was to understand our baseline emissions. It’s impossible to set meaningful reduction targets without first knowing where you stand. We spent months gathering data to create an emission baseline—tracking everything from electricity usage to business travel and waste management.

Once we had this baseline, we developed a system to track our emissions annually. This tracking system allows us to measure how effective our reduction measures are over time.

Key takeaway: Before setting ambitious goals, know your current emissions and track them. It’s the only way to understand the impact of your efforts and identify areas that need more attention.

2. Do it for real: aim for net zero, not just carbon neutrality

When we developed our roadmap, we didn’t want to stop at just carbon neutrality, which often relies heavily on offsetting emissions. Instead, we committed to net zero, meaning we aim to reduce emissions as much as possible before using any offsets.

This commitment distinguishes net-zero from carbon neutrality:

• Carbon neutrality involves balancing emissions with offsets, such as investing in renewable energy projects or planting trees.
• Net zero is more stringent. It requires reducing emissions across all scopes—Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3—to near zero before turning to offsets for the unavoidable remainder.

Understanding the different types of emissions is key:

• Scope 1: Direct emissions from sources your organization controls, such as fuel for heating or company vehicles.
• Scope 2: Indirect emissions from purchased energy like electricity or district heating.
• Scope 3: Indirect emissions from activities not directly controlled by your organization, including your supply chain, employee commuting, and business travel.

Including Scope 3 in your plan can be daunting due to the complexity, but it’s necessary for a comprehensive approach. In our case, Scope 3 makes up a significant portion of our carbon footprint.

Key takeaway: Commit to net zero—include all emission scopes in your plan. This is the only way to tackle the problem at its root and create long-lasting impact.

3. Break down your targets year by year

A long-term goal like reaching net zero by 2030 can feel overwhelming, especially for a smaller organization. That’s why we learned early on that it’s crucial to break down the journey into manageable annual targets.

In our roadmap, we created a step-by-step plan that includes:

• 2024: Immediate reductions through energy efficiency measures, such as optimizing heating systems and implementing a more sustainable travel policy.
• 2025: Expanding our efforts with a 40% emissions reduction, including office renovations and further supplier reviews.
• 2026 and beyond: Innovating by incorporating renewable energy sources and pushing for systemic changes like decarbonizing Vienna’s district heating system. We also plan to advocate for renewable energy infrastructure.

By breaking down our goals into year-by-year steps, we ensure that we can track our progress and adjust our strategies as needed.

Key takeaway: Don’t just set an end goal. Break down your roadmap into annual targets to make progress more manageable and allow for flexibility.

4. Don’t rely only on reduction measures: policies, guidelines, and team training are key

Sustainability isn’t just about making operational changes—it’s about changing the way your organization works. We quickly realized that our roadmap needed to be supported by well-designed policies and guidelines that align with our emissions reduction goals.

For example, we implemented new business travel policies that favor low-emission travel methods, and we set internal temperature control guidelines to reduce energy use in our offices. But creating policies alone isn’t enough. We also organized team workshops and training sessions to ensure that everyone understands their role in contributing to these goals.

Key takeaway: Support your sustainability efforts with internal policies, guidelines, and regular training. Everyone in your organization needs to understand how they can contribute.

5. Proactively look for funding opportunities

One of the challenges we faced in developing this roadmap was the cost of implementation. Sustainability initiatives can be expensive, especially when they involve infrastructure changes or new technology. However, we’ve been fortunate to identify external funding opportunities to help offset these costs.

In Vienna and Austria, there are grants and subsidies available for energy efficiency upgrades, like replacing gas boilers with electric ones, and for sustainability consulting services. Without these funds, it would have been difficult for us to move forward as quickly as we have.

Key takeaway: Sustainability can be costly, so proactively seek out funding opportunities to support your initiatives. There are often local or national programs designed to help organizations make these transitions.

6. Hire a sustainability coordinator if you can

Our decision to hire a Sustainability Coordinator has been pivotal. This role provides the expertise and leadership necessary to keep our net-zero efforts on track. Our Sustainability Coordinator is responsible for everything from emissions tracking and reporting to leading internal sustainability initiatives.

Having someone dedicated to this role has allowed us to make progress more effectively and ensures that we stay focused on our goals year after year.

Key takeaway: If possible, hire a dedicated Sustainability Coordinator. This will significantly increase your chances of reaching your sustainability targets.

7. External factors matter: build a plan for what’s beyond your control

No matter how ambitious your sustainability plan is, some factors are simply out of your hands. For us, one of the biggest external dependencies is the energy infrastructure in Vienna. Our ability to further reduce emissions depends on the city’s shift to renewable district heating.

We’ve accounted for these dependencies in our roadmap, making assumptions about external progress, such as changes in energy sources, and building mitigation strategies in case things don’t go as planned. Additionally, we recognize the importance of advocating for the systemic changes needed to achieve our goals. With a solid roadmap in hand, our advocacy efforts are more credible and impactful.

Key takeaway: Understand the external factors that affect your sustainability plan. Make realistic assumptions, predict risks, and develop mitigation strategies. Advocate for the broader changes needed to reach your targets.

Join Us On Our Way to Net Zero!

Developing a Sustainability Roadmap has been a challenging yet rewarding process. We’ve faced hurdles, but we’ve also made significant progress—proving that even relatively small organizations (we are a team of approximately 60 employees) can take bold steps towards net zero. Our hope is that by sharing our key learnings, we can inspire other organizations to take action, no matter their size. 

Join us on this journey. Together, we can create a ripple effect of positive change, proving that sustainability isn’t just for the big players—it’s something we can all achieve. So, are you ready to take the first step?

About the Author: Jakob Detering is our Managing Director, leading the portfolio of Impact Hub, Climate Lab and Future Health Lab. A recognized impact entrepreneur and organization builder, Jakob also has been a key driving force in transforming the Social Impact Award into the world’s leading community of early-stage social entrepreneurs. He brings extensive experience in scaling social ventures and driving systemic change across Europe and beyond