The UK government has pledged to achieve net zero by 2050. This might seem like an impossible target in the fallout of a post-pandemic world. The cost of living crisis has forced many to make difficult decisions between sustainability and cost-efficiency. Inflation is soaring, affecting energy and fuel prices massively. A greener approach to energy might be our saving grace, but we can’t put more renewable energy systems in place without the help of SMEs.
How Can An SME Reach Net Zero?
There’s lots of help available for SMEs to get them on the right track. The SME Climate Hub is an excellent, free resource open to businesses across the globe. You can calculate your emissions and find out where you can make improvements.
This is a great opportunity to get your customers involved in your journey. You can document the changes that your business is making to achieve net zero as part of your marketing strategy. People are more aware of their environmental impact that ever. Knowing that your business wants to make a difference is a great way to establish trust.
What Is Net Zero?
The UK government put in place a ten point plan to reduce our carbon emissions. This is to combat the huge increase in greenhouse gas emissions, which in turn has contributed to climate change.
Net zero simply means that the emissions that we create are equal to the carbon that is removed from the atmosphere naturally. We can achieve this by reducing our carbon emissions and by removing any excess carbon from the atmosphere with technology, where possible.
How Sustainable Web Design Can Help
With around 2.2% of all businesses in the UK falling into the e-commerce category, sustainable web design is becoming more important. But what is sustainable web design?
Every time you load a website, it takes energy, which produces carbon emissions. Websites that produce less carbon emissions tend to have smaller file sizes, better formatting and lightweight coding.
Creating a sustainable website can start at the user journey. If your site is laid out clearly and requires minimal clicks to reach the user’s goal, you’ll be saving energy. Getting your business online with a sustainable, well-crafted website could be a huge step towards the growth of your company.
How SMEs Will Help Consumers Achieve Net Zero
The average UK household will produce 8.1 tonnes of CO2. A large part of this will be from central heating, using electricity and fuelling vehicles. Thankfully, SMEs can provide services that will help to reduce this impact.
Renewable energy contractors are paving the way for consumers to go green. Air source heat pump and ground source heat pump installations are becoming more common. This is thanks to skilled tradesmen taking up additional training to learn how to set up renewable energy systems.
As well as this, many electricians are upskilling so that they can provide solar panels and solar batteries to their customers. They have also made home electric vehicle chargers a lot more accessible to consumers, so buying an EV is a much smarter choice.
Without these skills being so readily available, the UK would have a much harder time reaching net zero. We are incredibly lucky to have so many skilled tradesmen who are willing to invest in their training for a good cause.
Small Changes Everyone Can Make
The services mentioned before involve skill and training. However, the work doesn’t end there. All SMEs and consumers can contribute to a better environment by making a few small changes. These include:
- Switching to energy saving light bulbs
- Environmentally-friendly packaging
- Sourcing goods locally, where possible
- Recycle as much waste as you can
The UK Needs Everyone’s Help To Achieve Net Zero
With a few small changes made by everyone, net zero becomes much more achievable. SME’s make up 99.9% of the UK’s business population, so the changes that they make will have a substantial impact. What’s more, the services that many SME’s offer will help the rest of the UK’s population to reduce their carbon footprints as well.
