Stronger organisation – with climate data as a tool

Good Advice team.

For Good Advice, sustainability work isn't about ticking boxes. As an agency specialising in accounting, financial management and organisational development, with offices in Stockholm and Gothenburg, they see sustainability as a natural part of building long-term, resilient and thriving businesses. With GoClimate, they've gained concrete data to act on — and that data has changed more than they expected.

As a service company without its own production, Good Advice initially assumed their climate impact couldn't be that significant. But once they started measuring, a clear pattern emerged: food and beverages were among their largest sources of emissions. Not because the agency's culture was wasteful — on the contrary, the generous culture of shared lunches and breakfasts is something they actively cherish — but because the data revealed what those choices actually cost in carbon dioxide.

The insight led to action. Good Advice has introduced a policy of 100 percent plant-based food whenever the company hosts, a decision made collectively through the agency's sustainability group. Not to take anything away, but to make conscious choices within the emission limits they have set for themselves.

— With GoClimate's system, we can see in a very concrete way which categories account for our largest emissions. That's when we realised that action was needed around food and beverages — not by cutting back on eating together, but by thinking more carefully about what we choose to consume, says Carl Elfgren, organisational developer at Good Advice.

Accounting as the key

Good Advice also works actively to incorporate sustainability data into their clients' decision-making through Sustainability Analysis in Oxceed. For an agency whose core competency is finance and organisation, the connection is logical: accounting is already the hub of most SME operations. Adding climate KPIs to the same flow lowers the threshold.

Conversations with clients change when data is on the table. What was previously an abstract discussion about responsibility and ambition becomes a concrete conversation about KPIs, categories and behaviours. It often sparks curiosity, even if sustainability data still needs to become a more natural part of business management.

— We often say that many of the companies we work with are still "asleep" when it comes to sustainability data. This is where we — and the entire sustainability sector — have a great deal of work ahead of us. For the issue to gain real traction among small businesses, it needs to feel relevant to their operations and be more clearly linked to business value and decision-making, says Carl Elfgren.

Good Advice sees a cautious glimmer of hope as more companies want to connect financial KPIs with climate data. Even though they are still often the ones actively driving the agenda, they genuinely try to influence the shift so that sustainability data becomes a natural part of business management. It's about waking companies up to this transition — a gentle nudge of "think about this" or "bring this along on your journey."

Change that comes from within

For Good Advice, the most important lesson is that change cannot be the responsibility of a few. It's not enough for one person to eat plant-based, or for one department to get involved. Sustainability work needs to permeate the entire organisation to have impact — and that requires everyone to understand why.

— The change needs to come from within, as a shared understanding and will across the organisation. In the long run, we firmly believe that it strengthens group motivation, says Carl Elfgren.

It's an insight they carry with them both in their own work and in their advisory role with clients. And the business case is, according to Carl, just as real as the climate case.

— Sustainability work genuinely strengthens the company's value — not just on paper. It's a competitive advantage that shows up in business results, not just in the annual report, says Carl Elfgren.

Get started

With GoClimate, companies gain a clear overview of their emissions, can identify their largest sources, and track progress in a way that meets both client and regulatory requirements. This creates the conditions for more informed decisions — in everyday operations and over time.

Would you like to, just like Good Advice, turn climate data into concrete action in your business? Get in touch and we'll tell you more.