Business and industry

Actions your business can take to increase profitability, and capitalise on future opportunities, become more sustainable and manage climate risk.

Many solutions already exist, whether it’s making operations more sustainable, building resilience to natural disasters, assessing future climate risk and identifying adaptation pathways, accessing emerging markets in low carbon industries, or growing new jobs in regional areas.

With early action, everyone can prosper.

Climate action for your business

Here are some simple actions your business can take to increase profitability, capitalise on future opportunities, and become more resilient and more sustainable:

  • Sign up to ecoBiz, a free program for small and medium-sized businesses. The program provides personal coaching, site surveys, training and tools to help improve resource efficiency, environmental sustainability and lower operating costs.
  • Assess and manage the exposure of your business to climate change risks by using the climate change risk management tool for small businesses in Queensland (PDF, 10MB). The Queensland Government has produced climate science and data resources including high-resolution climate projection data for Queensland, summaries of regional and state-wide climate change impacts, and Queensland’s latest greenhouse gas inventory.
  • Investigate new business growth opportunities in a low carbon future. The Queensland Government commissioned a report by Ernst & Young on opportunities in a zero net emissions future for multiple sectors. Sector Adaptation Plans prioritise adaptation activities and identify opportunities for eight Queensland sectors.
  • For agricultural businesses, the Energy Savers Plus Program Extension provides free audits to identify better ways to manage electricity consumption, and grants of up to $20,000 to implement recommendations.
  • Set your own emissions reduction target and develop an emissions reduction plan. Many of Australia’s largest businesses have committed to ambitious emissions reduction targets. The Science-Based Targets global initiative provides resources for businesses to set targets consistent with limiting global warming to below 2°C, and preferably 1.5°C.
  • Investigate renewable energy options. The Business Renewables Centre Australia supports renewable power purchasing by providing tools and information for businesses.
  • Buy carbon credits to offset the carbon emissions of your business. The Australian Government’s Emissions Reduction Fund provides a mechanism for organisations and individuals to earn Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) that can be sold to other businesses to offset emissions. The Queensland Government’s Land Restoration Fund aims to expand carbon farming in the state by supporting land-sector projects that generate high-quality carbon credits with significant co-benefits, including benefits for First Nations communities.
  • Develop a waste management plan to monitor and reduce waste. Under Queensland’s Waste Management and Resource Recovery Strategy, the Queensland Government is working with businesses to reduce excessive packaging and make packaging waste recyclable, as well as supporting research into new uses and markets for recycled materials.
  • Investigate options for producing energy onsite from waste as a method to both reduce waste and energy costs.
  • Identify and discuss with other businesses the adaptation actions that might be needed to ensure your business stays resilient, sustainable and profitable into the future—see Business Chamber Queensland's brochure, Small businesses adapt to climate-related shocks (PDF, 200KB). Get Ready Queensland provides tools and resources to help build resilience to extreme weather and natural disaster events. The National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility provides information and resources to support business decision-makers to manage the risks of climate change.
  • Innovate for Queensland's sustainable future. The Low Carbon Accelerator program demonstrates the Queensland Government’s commitment to working with dynamic entrepreneurs to accelerate Queensland’s transition to a low carbon economy.

    The 2022/23 program brought industry and government together to support Queensland innovators and entrepreneurs to develop market readiness of their low-carbon products and services. These projects address key decarbonisation challenges, and support progress towards our emissions reduction targets.

    Learn about the Low Carbon Accelerator participants and discover the exciting projects that successfully made it through all three stages of the 2022/23 program.

Do you have a story to share?

We would love to hear about how Queenslanders are taking climate action in their own home, community or business.

Send your climate action story to climatechange@des.qld.gov.au and your project may be profiled on the Queensland Climate Action website.

Information for industry sectors

Every Queensland industry has unique opportunities in a low-carbon future. Here are resources relevant to key sectors across Queensland: