While many companies are still focused on their immediate needs and recovery from the pandemic’s effects, it’s important not to lose sight of the value of sustainability. The demand from government, customers, and suppliers to be ethical and sustainable will only increase and eventually become expected rather than a unique selling point. It will be interesting to see which businesses will make a head start, to differentiate themselves while preparing for future changes.
To obtain large government contracts, companies must pledge to net zero.
The market momentum behind decarbonising the economy seems to grow with every passing week. By September 2021, prospective suppliers bidding for government contracts above £5 million a year will need to have committed to the government’s target of Net-Zero by 2050 and have published a carbon reduction plan. Firms that fail to do so will be excluded from bidding for the contracts. This goes a step further along with the already existing regulation (2019) for the UK government’s Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR), which requires 11,900 organisations (with over £36million turnover) to report on their carbon emissions within their Directors report to Companies House.
A carbon reduction plan sets out where an organisation’s emissions come from and the environmental management measures they have in place. Some large companies already self-report parts of their carbon emissions, known as Scope 1 (direct) and Scope 2 (indirect owned) emissions. The new rules will go further, requiring reporting of some Scope 3 emissions, including business travel, employee commuting, transportation, distribution, and waste. Scope 3 emissions represent a significant proportion of an organisation’s carbon footprint, including purchased goods and services.
Hence, when large organisations make their purchasing decisions, they would likely prefer businesses committed to Net-Zero. They will also want to have their supply chains decarbonised. Just as an example, Jaguar Landrover has announced a target of 2039 for its supply chain to become Net-Zero.
Q Energy can help your firm bridge the gap and achieve net-zero.
As a leading smart energy services provider, we at Q Energy have developed a data-driven approach with an AI-driven energy asset optimisation platform to help businesses reduce their carbon emissions. We believe that cost-effectiveness and transparency will be key to helping businesses with their transition to a zero-carbon economy. This is why we have devised the Q Energy pathway to Net Zero for customers utilising our unique technology and service model.
We have been offering this for the last year to commercial & residential new builds, office buildings, local authorities, NHS trusts, breweries, care homes, property owners with multiple sites, and more. We have now refined our offering based on the feedback from our customers, stakeholders and our staff members involved in the delivery.
Net Zero standards are being established and gaining traction, such as the SME climate hub, Pledge to Net Zero and Future Net Zero standard. We at Q Energy have partnered with all of them to deliver the accreditation along with the reporting to our customers.
Net-zero is the future.
In summary, becoming Net Zero carbon is not just beneficial for the environment; it may also influence your bottom line. Savings in operational costs, increased resilience, and a better reputation within your client base and supply chain are advantages of a net-zero future.
Not only this, with the new Government Legislation being put in place, businesses with a clear Net-Zero plan will be seen as more favourable partners to work with compared to businesses who haven’t got any plans in place!
We work with customers to produce a Net Zero commitment and detailed carbon reduction plan along with our energy efficiency recommendations. We will help businesses set and achieve targets through following actions such as installing on-site renewables like solar panels, electrification of heat, directly sourcing renewable energy from solar & wind farms, optimising energy usage at carbon-intensive periods, switching from petrol and diesel vehicles to electric vehicles whilst also monitoring the usage of these vehicles and the carbon reduction of your business.
Are You Ready for a Zero-Carbon Future?
If you are a business owner looking at achieving Net Zero, have any questions to ask or anyone interested in a potential partnership, please get in touch https://calendly.com/qenergy-louis