Going Green to Boost your Business 1: What does Net Zero mean for your SME?

The UK Government has set a target to reach Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050. It has also enshrined this in law, so the target will have to be met, and your business will be part of the solution.

The 'Carrot': To achieve this the Government now requires business contracts over £5M to have a Net Zero Plan in place. Other public sector organisations are also developing similar requirements, and the private sector is following this trend

Even though your SME may not deal directly with the public sector, you will still be required to show how your business contributes to the overall value chain. Your B2B customers will be asking how your business can help them with their own contractual Net Zero commitments.

The 'Stick': Legislation is being introduced to ensure that if your business doesn't take the 'carrot' then there will be punitive financial costs through increased business taxes (eg Extended Producer Responsibility Packaging taxes and Carbon tax, expected to increase to £100 per tonne by 2030). Energy and material prices have also increased massively recently, and are expected to continue rising. Retail customers are also increasingly asking for evidence of what your business is doing to 'save the planet'. 80% of customers say that when looking at products that are similar in price, they would choose the one that is most environmentally friendly.

When do you need to do it?

2050 may seem a long way off, but rapid changes are required to achieve Net Zero and customers are demanding action now! Businesses are already making these changes and taking advantage of these short term quick wins.

What we will cover:

You will learn how Net Zero

• can save your business costs and improve profitability
• will become an important part of your value and supply chain
• can help you stand out, giving you a competitive market advantage
• reduces business risk and builds resilience
• can help your contracts and customer engagement

We will also explain what you can learn from attending the whole programme of webinars, helping you to improve your profitability and work towards building a zero carbon business

This webinar is aimed at SME's based in Leicester and Leicestershire.