A battle for small businesses scrambling for net zero
With a call for all businesses big and small to make a pledge to cut their emissions in half by 2030 and then to net zero by 2050 or sooner, we have been thinking about ways in which different companies will be moving towards these goals. At the start of 2020 there were 5.9 million small businesses in the UK. Recently, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, have been asking for these small businesses to lead the way on this initiative in the UK. But is this really a fair ask when larger organisations can employ consultants and advisers with their high calibre budgets whilst smaller companies are left with the same steep target, yet fewer resources to achieve it.
SME Struggles
Most SMEs will struggle with getting proper advice on how to drive their energy usage down due to them not having a dedicated team, meaning they will often rely on staff in other departments to work on net zero goals as an extra job on top of their usual day to day duties. The likelihood is that most SMEs will also not own their own facilities, whether that be outsourcing manufacturing or renting office space. Due to this, there is a strong chance that this results in them not paying their own energy bills, making it much harder for them to switch to a more renewable supplier. Another issue SMEs often face is lacking buying power when it comes to looking to switch to more renewable energy or alternative packaging and struggle to drive the prices down due to their often lower rates of sales.
Making Moves
So, with all these blockers, how can SMEs start to make a difference? Well, with a third of consumers stating that they would rather purchase from sustainable businesses, it’s quite important that any SMEs make sure they make this a greater focus. You can begin your journey towards a net zero future with tiny changes and every little move helps.
One of the best first steps for SMEs would be to look to work out their own greenhouse gas emissions, there are lots of online calculators that can help with this. This will help identify problem areas, where the most efficiency improvement can be gained.
A great way to reduce your impact when you’re renting offices is by creating a hybrid of office and home working where possible, this reduces emissions from employees travelling to work and energy usage in offices, reducing your wider carbon footprint.
You can try to cut out as much paper and plastic use as possible, that way you don’t have to worry about proper recycling waste disposal.
Encourage your workers to take part in cycle to work schemes or car sharing for those who live further away.
These are only a few of the possible ways SMEs can begin making small moves towards their net zero commitments, there are growing numbers of online resources available offering advice specifically for smaller businesses such as:
And many many more, all available at your fingertips.
If you are an SME that has introduced strong sustainability goals or a company delivering sustainable services for other companies, we want to hear your story. Get in touch.