The New Year is often a time to reflect and plan ways to improve in the coming months. Decarbonisation, sustainability, and net zero are probably on that list.
Here are six things you can do for free to learn more about the topic and kick-start your journey to net zero.
1. Look at your current energy use
Start by looking at your gas and electricity bills, these will tell you the amount of energy, in kilowatt-hours (kWH), that you’ve used in that period. Tracking this over a few months will allow you to see patterns in your usage. If you haven’t already got one, request a smart meter from your utilities suppliers. This will give you more data, and when you look at usage by day or ideally, the meters will provide you with readings every 30 minutes.
With this data you can see how much energy is used when the factory is empty, such as over weekends as well as energy use overnight, during break times, or differences between shifts.
Once you have this data you’ll be able to identify where energy can be saved and can start to make improvements, such as checking machines aren’t left on idle overnight, or putting automated controls on compressors.
2. Get talking about the subject of carbon footprints, decarbonisation and net zero
Add it to the agenda of every management meeting or board meeting. This will ensure that it stays at the front of people’s minds. Even if the first discussion is “I have no idea what net zero means” or “Not everyone knows what scopes 1, 2 and 3 emissions are”, the first action is for someone to find out and give feedback at the next meeting. Then decide on your next step and keep progressing the conversation.
Discussing it with staff at team meetings is another great way to build engagement. Some might have suggestions for quick wins, while others might be keen on the subject and want to take the lead in investigating improvements. Either way, letting them know that you’re starting to look at it will help make implementing improvements easier later. Be sure to keep everyone up to date with progress and your ambitions.
Suppliers, customers, other manufacturers in the area, and even artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT or Google Gemini are also great ways to find out what other people are doing, and to find out what support is available.
3. Make decarbonisation a consideration in major decisions
Thinking about the impact on the company’s carbon footprint when making operational decisions, can have a large effect on the business’s journey to net zero. For example, when looking at changing packaging suppliers, including the need for sustainable materials and low carbon delivery could mean you end up with an improved solution provided by a more local company, which is more responsive to your needs. Or considering energy use when buying new equipment will mean that running costs will be reduced, and this applies to everything from a large machine on the shop floor to a monitor in the office.
4. Use free carbon calculating tools
Building up from checking your energy use, there are a number of tools available online which help to estimate the carbon footprint of the company as a whole. Some are more detailed than others, but the basic ones will give you a quick indication of which areas of your business have the biggest impact on the environment, and these will also be quicker to complete. If you understand the subject in more detail, the more thorough tools will help you to create a decent baseline of your emissions as a starting point to creating a plan to achieve net zero emissions.
Some examples of free tools are listed below, many others are available:
5. Follow experts on social media to keep on top of the topic
A simple way to regularly get new ideas and perspectives is to add companies, experts, or topics to your social media feeds. Organisations such as SME Climate Hub, the Carbon Trust, and The Carbon Literacy Project post about case studies, new ideas, the latest research, or incentives to help companies on their decarbonisation journey.
There are also frequent webinars, conferences, events, and podcasts on the topics which will help you learn more about the specific challenges SMEs face when addressing decarbonisation and engaging with these will help you find more experts to subscribe to and expand your network.
6. Look for funded support in your area
Decarbonisation is a focus for both national and local governments, as they have a legal responsibility to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. This includes the carbon footprint of your business, your employees, and local suppliers. As a result, there is often funded support to help you identify improvements, measure emissions, improve the efficiency of equipment and buildings, as well as training your workforce.
Check with your local authority, chambers of commerce, growth hub, or trade associations to find out about incentives and schemes available.
Taking steps to decarbonise your company doesn’t have to be costly or intrusive. Make 2025 your year of decarbonisation, every decision, no matter how small, will make an impact.
There may even be support available from Made Smarter, register your business to find out more.