With the government’s determination to achieve net zero targets as part of their climate change and environmental agenda, SME’s are being provided with dedicated support to hep them achieve this as part of the wider picture.
A report – entitled “Small business advice service on net zero: Discovery phase”- produced by the new Zero Carbon Business Partnership highlights the need by SME’s for transparent, trusted and transparent advice and support on how to reduce emissions as part of the drive to achieve the net zero target.
The Zero Carbon Business Partnership is a strategic partnership between several of the UK’s foremost business, energy, industrial and educational bodies, such as Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the British Retail Consortium (BRC), Northern Powergrid and Make UK.
Unsurprisingly perhaps, the report finds that SME’s top priority is a balance between post pandemic recovery and environmental impact.
Worryingly, although the sample was very small, almost three quarters of some 350 plus SME’s could not name online help resources and guides, some 33% were unaware of the term ‘net zero’ and 40% said that financial resources were a significant block to driving or achieving such a target.
Perhaps most interestingly, and it is a position we feel has some merit in perspective, over 40% of respondents reported environmental impact not to be of primary importance.
With COP26 on the horizon, it is important that climate change and environmental factors are considered seriously, and yet e would suggest that along with a strong sense of environmental stewardship, a sense of perspective, proportion and reality must also inform HMG and SME’s. With SME’s accounting for 99% of all UK economic activity, and there being strong and very real critique of HMG’s and others’ climate change and environmental agendas, SME’s and The UK economy cannot afford strategically tactically or operationally to jump blind onto bandwagons which might do significant self-harm and emasculate the economy.
__________________________________________
Recent Comments