Chamber campaign to aid firms ' net zero progress

A campaign designed to help businesses improve their progress towards net zero is being launched by two regionals Chambers of Commerce this week.

The Sustainable Business Series: Net Zero is a joint initiative between the Greater Birmingham and Coventry & Warwickshire Chambers of Commerce.

The campaign, which gets underway on Wednesday, aims to improve business progress to net zero through sharing best practice, guidance and knowledge.

Greenhouse gas emissions, such as carbon dioxide are warming the planet, which is causing environmental and socio-economic damage.

Left unchecked, climate change will increasingly cause negative impact on economies and businesses.

In the West Midlands the economic costs of GHG and air pollution is around £2.5 billion annually.

The Government has legislated a target for the UK economy to be net zero by 2050.

As a result, many firms have started to set their own net zero targets, in advance of the 2050 deadline.

It is thought that further policy changes will come when the UK 's the Conference of the Parties (COP) 26 summit in just over a month.

This may include changes to legislation and support, but will also increase stakeholder expectations on environmental performance, including net zero.

Sustainable Business: Net Zero begins on Wednesday with the webinar 'What Does Net Zero Mean for SMEs? '.

It will cover the policy context and business risks of net zero and the implications for the services and manufacturing sectors.

Following this will be four themed weeks - energy, circular economy, transport and sustainable business management.

The campaign will close with in-person summit, featuring key political figures, such as Andy Street and business experts on topics such as the role of businesses in net zero.

The themed weeks will be supported by expert-led webinars, blogs, videos and podcasts from across the Chambers ' networks.

Firms can also learn more about how to energy audit and manage energy, how to measure carbon emissions and communicate sustainability progress.

The campaign has been sponsored by organisations proactive in the environmental agenda - Arup, University of Birmingham, Morgan Sindall, and Aston University.

Will Hargreaves (pictured), environmental sustainability lead at the GBCC, said: “With COP 26 around the corner, the world will focus its attention to climate credentials of the UK and its businesses.

“This campaign is designed to share practical tips and inspire action for businesses at any stage of their net zero journey, so collectively, the business community can rise to the climate challenge.

“The business community is facing a lot of issues off the back of the pandemic, Brexit and now the gas price rise and CO2 shortage. These issues are similar to how climate change will disrupt businesses, and those that are too late to adapt their operations and reduce their emissions expose themselves to the most disruption

“Businesses we speak with say they are finding increasing pressure from suppliers, customers and employees to reduce their emissions to net zero. The Chambers ' Sustainable Business Series: Net Zero campaign will help businesses start to navigate net zero. ”

See our list of campaign events here.