5 minute read
Reflecting on the changes since our Carbon Literacy training, the shift in workforce behaviour is tangible. The harsh reality is that our planet is experiencing the accelerating effects of climate change; writing this during June 2026 on the hottest day on record, the urgency is felt deeply across the team.
We kick-started our Carbon Literacy journey in 2024, committing to developing our environmental responsibility through our partnership with Protect Our Winters. The entire team completed Carbon Literacy Training from POW UK, empowering us and providing the tools to understand our environmental footprint and implement ways to reduce our impact in every area of the business on a daily basis.
Our additional training went live two years later for the rest of our team, to account for natural staff turnover and maintain momentum, so a fresh round of training was delivered by our Sustainability Manager. The dedicated training programme was accredited by the Carbon Literacy Project, interwoven with the operational realities of how we do business at Dryrobe®.
This structured training gave every employee the key to driving meaningful change, both at an individual level and within their job roles, creating a culture of activism that extends to their families, friends, and the wider outdoor community they meet at events.
Internally, while sustainability was already part of our core philosophy of "buying less, buying better”, we recognised the need to deeply embed carbon awareness across our entire team. We work to monitor our carbon emissions, so we know exactly where to target short-term wins and how to implement a plan for deeper, long-term reductions.
Throughout the training, we touched upon impact areas including: industries, food, travel, fuel use, purchased goods, land-use change and home impacts that contribute to releasing greenhouse gas emissions. Whilst the topic of climate change can be quite emotional, our team were open to discussions and collective problem-solving. A general theme was that systemic issues are harder to control individually, and that structural limits in our personal homes and broader infrastructure for sustainable travel are especially evident where we are based in Devon. Instead of being halted, we focused on the accessible, high-impact changes within our personal control and within our job roles. Our team were feeling how the current commitments and actions just are not hitting the mark, we need everyone to act, and act now.
Since completing the training, our staff have demonstrated increased climate awareness, resulting in immediate benefits such as an increase in car-sharing, walking, and cycling to work. Here are some of the commitments the team has made within their job focus:
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Encourage responsible use of AI in business to avoid contributing to the high energy and water usage associated with data centres.
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Forecasting more frequently and reviewing stock positions of our goods to ensure we continue to use the limited last-minute freight methods.
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Our sales team is actively taking accountability by centring environmental education on our largest retail accounts to maximise carbon reduction across our supply chain, while making Carbon Literacy information standard practice during onboarding for new accounts.
We are proud of our team for engaging and committing to their pledges, with a final note from our team attendees:
“Completing the carbon literacy training was extremely valuable because it taught me how I can effectively reduce my carbon footprint, not just at work but throughout my own life and daily activities. I feel inspired to turn my fears into action and have already started by prioritising vegetarian meals at home and reducing food waste at work through leftovers and shared lunches. Next, I plan to bring more sustainable education and practice into my work at Dryrobe®. I am excited to help create the positive change we strive for at Dryrobe® from my own actions, to colleagues, to our wider community.”
“I learnt so much about how I can leave a lighter footprint in my day-to-day life. Since the training, I have been making active changes in the way I recycle and travel. This week we are experiencing and learning how the climate crisis will intensify temperatures and weather in the future. We must act accordingly and source cleaner energy to avoid irreparable damage.
“The carbon literacy training was super insightful and eye-opening to everyday problems that I was previously less aware of - I have actively now chosen to meal prep more and supply my own food at work, also by eating less meat protein with switch-outs like chickpeas and plant-based proteins to play a small part in a big change for the future of the planet.”
Published on July 22, 2026
