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Building business resilience

Scottish businesses across all industries are being increasingly disrupted by extreme weather. From premises and refrigeration units overheating during unusually warm spells, to staff and supplies being unable to travel when the transport network is damaged by storms and flooding. The extreme weather events we have seen in Scotland are not one-off events, they are part of a long-term change in weather patters that we refer to as climate change, caused by greenhouse gas emissions from human activity. This extreme weather is projected to continue and intensify over the coming decades.

Taking proactive resilience action has many benefits. It minimises the damage and costs of extreme weather events and ensures business continuity.

Many businesses identify new income streams and areas for competitive advantage through the process of addressing climate risks, such as a new repair services for buildings damaged by extreme weather, cultivating climate resilient crops or using more weather-resilient materials.
The Adaptation Scotland programme is excited to share a new resource to help businesses in Scotland prepare for extreme weather and increase their business resilience.

The SME Resilience Checklist provides practical checklists for simple actions that businesses can take to protect their People, Products and Services, Premises, Processes and Place. It also includes prompts to encourage businesses to identify opportunities for innovations or new offerings in response to their climate risks and new customer needs.
My advice would be do what you can. Try and see sustainability as a commercial benefit rather than a cost. It can feel overwhelming, but get started and explore the support that is out there. It’s our role as SMEs to lead by example and encourage the big businesses to change too, and deliver positive impact at scale.

Tom McDermott, Business Owner