Five myths that hold high-growth companies back on decarbonization
- sherry8120
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
When companies are scaling production, fleet capacity, or new facilities, carbon emissions often become a secondary concern. However, these are the exact moments when teams lock in their long-term operational cost structure. Equipment selections, HVAC design, fleet choices, and utility contracts can set 10–15 years of energy costs and carbon emissions.
When done right, decarbonization can actually empower a business’ growth strategy. Companies that integrate reduction practices early create meaningful cost savings, reduce exposure to energy volatility, and build credibility with customers and investors.
So why do so many companies miss the opportunity? And what can be done to close the gap? Here are the five myths we see most often with high-growth companies:
Myth #1: “Sustainability sits outside core operations.”
Fast-growing companies often place sustainability in a separate track, disconnected from the operational decisions that drive energy use and cost.
Reality:
Most energy costs, and therefore carbon emissions, stem from production processes, facility design, equipment choices, and logistics. When sustainability work is integrated with operations, companies find savings that support growth goals.
Myth #2: “We need perfect emissions data before we can take decarbonization actions.”
High-growth companies rarely have a complete view of their emissions. As a result, teams end up postponing meaningful decarbonization work while they sink time into the manual, labor-intensive task of building a comprehensive emissions inventory.
Reality:
Across industries, companies consistently find that their carbon emissions are highly concentrated in a few key facilities or locations, rather than evenly distributed.
The long tail of emissions can take significant effort to calculate but they don’t materially impact a company’s reduction trajectory. The big gains come from identifying the few assets that drive most of the footprint and focusing actions on these significant drivers. Companies can do this with more limited data from these sites even if they haven’t completed the full emissions picture.
Myth #3: “Decarbonization requires large capital projects.”
Teams often assume meaningful decarbonization demands new technology, full system replacements, or major infrastructure upgrades.
Reality:
High-ROI decarbonization actions are readily available without significant changes to your operations or capital planning. Fleet electrification works best when vehicles are already due for replacement. Simple process adjustments like compressor tuning can often reduce energy use by 10 to 20 percent with minimal investment. These low-Capex reductions show measurable operational discipline, making it easier to attract investment for the next stage of growth.
Case study: How a High-Growth Manufacturer Unlocked Operational Value Without Major Capital Spend TemperPack, a fast-growing packaging manufacturer, used targeted decarbonization work to improve operational efficiency without adding headcount or investing in major equipment overhauls. In a few months, they surfaced 15% energy efficiency gains, reduced cooling Opex by 67%, and built a roadmap aligned with their growth strategy. 👉 See how TemperPack used decarbonization as a strategic growth lever.
Myth #4: “We need a full sustainability team to make progress.”
High-growth companies often stall on decarbonization because they don’t have dedicated sustainability resources. The responsibility defaults to an already stretched operator, compliance officer, or people leader as a low-priority side task and never gets off the ground.
Reality:
Companies don’t need to add headcount to get started. Most early steps can be covered with limited hours from a few key functions. With the support of a specialized partner like Rappel, companies can build an actionable decarbonization roadmap in 12 to 16 weeks, powered by a scalable analytics model and tailored expert guidance. Once the ROI is clearly established, further investments in the team and capabilities become easier to justify amongst competing priorities.
Myth #5: “Decarbonization only matters for enterprise companies.”
Mid-sized and growth-stage companies assume carbon reduction expectations only apply to public companies or heavily regulated industries.
Reality:
Investor diligence and customer expectations now reach well into the middle-market. Requirements around climate risk, supply chain, and more are becoming standard. At the same time, rising energy volatility creates real financial exposure for growing companies. Decarbonization protects growth by strengthening cost structure and meeting the expectations of the partners that enable scale.
Ready to explore the high-value decarbonization opportunities in your business?
At Rappel, we help high-growth companies pinpoint cost and emissions across their operations. Our approach focuses on near-term, high-ROI actions, brings cost and carbon into the same view so the business case is clear, and disaggregates emissions down to the asset level to surface real inefficiencies.
By combining scalable analytics with guidance from industry experts, we give teams the clarity and actionable steps they need to move quickly.
Explore what the opportunity could be for your business.
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