Your net zero plan
You selected ‘Energy and waste’ and ‘Scotland’
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Understand your business emissions
1) What causes emissions
Direct carbon emissions produced by the energy and waste sectors:
- electricity and gas – for lighting, heating, office equipment and machinery
- combustion of residual waste in energy-from-waste (EfW) plants
- operation of wastewater treatment plants
- general waste – when it’s not recycled and sent to landfill sites
- transport – using petrol or diesel vehicles to deliver services
2) Calculate your emissions
Use a free carbon calculator to work out your business’s carbon footprint. This is measured in tonnes, over a year.
3) Estimate the cost of your emissions
Once you have your carbon footprint, you can calculate how much your emissions are costing you. This will give you an idea of potential savings you can make by taking action.
4) Sign up to the SME climate commitment
Make a climate declaration to show customers you are committed to reducing emissions.
Get finance and support
1) Support in your sector
Find information on the UK’s biodegradable waste management industry on the Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA).
Find guidance on British Water, the trade association for the water and wastewater industry.
Explore sustainability initiatives on Environmental Services Association (ESA) for the UK resource and waste management industry.
Access research in water and the environment on the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM).
Find further guidance on how to reduce transport-related emissions on Road Haulage Association (RHA).
2) Get financial support for your region
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These support schemes and networks are available in Scotland:
- Business Energy Scotland gives SMEs access to consulting, loans (up to £100,000) and grants (up to £20,000) for energy efficiency and renewable heat measures
- eBike loans offer interest-free loans of up to £6,000 for the purchase of an approved electric bike – the repayment period is 4 years
- Energy Investment Fund offers loans and investments for commercial and community-based low carbon energy projects
- Find Business Support gives customers an overview of all funding and services offered by public sector organisations across Scotland
- Highland Council Shared Prosperity funding supports these initiatives for SMEs as part of their strategic plan:
- start-up rate, SME growth and sustainability
- business development funding & support
- specialist support for businesses
- NESTRANS Sustainable Travel Scheme gives SMEs and community organizations up to £10,000 in matching funds for sustainable transport initiatives – must be based in Aberdeen or Aberdeenshire
- Private Rented Sector Landlord Loans lets property management businesses borrow up to £15,000 for energy efficiency and £17,000 for renewable systems – interest and fees apply
- Small Business Bonus Scheme provides rates relief to help owners of non-domestic properties, including businesses
- SME Loan Scheme – Business Energy Scotland offers interest-free loans from £1,000 to £100,000 to pay for energy efficiency and carbon reducing upgrades – up to £30,000 can be provided as a grant if installing eligible equipment
- Vehicle retrofits and safe disposal of non-compliant vehicles funds are available from Energy Saving Trust – must be a SME with 9 employees or less and located within 20km of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen or Dundee
- Zero Waste Scotland also offers free support and advice for businesses, including a free energy assessment and comprehensive report with actions you can take to reduce emissions
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Actions you can take right now
1) Use less energy at your office or workplace
Quick, low-cost measures include:
- lighting – use LED bulbs for greater efficiency
- heating – put your thermostat on a timer and seal your windows for extra insulation
- office equipment – try to turn off and unplug devices when they’re not being used
2) Do an energy walk-round
Prepare a checklist
Look out for wasteful energy use and maintenance issues in the following areas:
- Look at lighting, heating and refrigeration systems, as well as ventilation and water heating.
- Identify wasteful energy use and maintenance issues.
- Check at different times of day and compare day and night time use.
- Monitor over a period of a week for accurate average figures.
- Make sure equipment is checked and cleaned regularly to ensure maximum efficiency.
Improve ventilation
Routine maintenance checks and cleaning will improve the efficiency of your ventilation system.
3) Decide if you need an energy strategy
Depending on the size of your business, you might need to implement an energy management strategy. An energy manager will help you:
- Measure and monitor energy use.
- Target ways to use energy as efficiently as possible.
Find out more from the Carbon Trust
4) Change your energy tariff
Switch to a green energy tariff with your energy supplier. This will reduce your reliance on energy produced by fossil fuels.
5) Switch to a smart meter
This will allow you to see and control how much energy you use. Find out more about smart meters.
6) Manage your waste
Recycle waste to prevent it being taken to landfill sites where it takes longer to break down and causes more emissions.
7) Get training in energy efficiency
You can train your team to be aware of energy efficiency in the workplace. Find a sustainability training course.
Longer term actions
1) Make changes to your work buildings and office
If you are the legal owner, there are a number of long-term measures you can take to improve energy efficiency.
Check planning permission guidelines before you go ahead with any structural changes to the property.
Improve insulation and windows
You can make long-term savings on energy bills by insulating buildings and replacing old windows.
Install renewables
You might also consider installing renewable sources of energy on your land.
For example:
- heat pumps for heating and water
- solar panels or a wind turbine for electricity
By doing so, you could make significant long-term savings on energy bills.
2) Reduce transport emissions
Over a quarter of the UK’s carbon emissions are caused by transport. Visit our page to find out about how to reduce emissions from freight and logistics.
If you have employees you could introduce a cycle-to-work initiative or encourage them to take public transport. Visit our page on switching employee mode of transport for guidance.
Electric vehicles
If you use a work vehicle, you can reduce emissions by switching over to an electric vehicle (EV). You would be exempt from road tax, congestion charges and parking fees in certain areas.
For easy overnight charging you could install EV chargers at your home or workplace. Visit our page to find out more about installing chargegpoints.
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Indirect emissions
To reduce indirect or ‘supply chain’ emissions you need to consider what happens before and after your business provides a service or makes a product.
1) Choose greener ‘upstream’ suppliers and products
- use suppliers that measure and reduce carbon
- help your suppliers with carbon reduction projects
- buy products that take less energy to make, transport and operate
Find out more information on how to source products and services from green suppliers.
2) Reduce emissions ‘downstream’ of your business
- make products that take less energy to make, transport and operate
- reduce water consumption and waste disposal needs
- make investments in lower carbon financial products
- give incentives for lower emission activities in leased assets or franchises
3) Certify your supply chain action with PAS 2060
The standard process for PAS 2060 certification includes these steps:
- Measure greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) based on accurate data.
- Reduce of emissions through a carbon management plan.
- Document and verify through qualifying explanatory statements and make a public disclosure.
Through independent British Standards Institution (BSI) verification for PAS 2060, your business can demonstrate that it has met these requirements. You can show your business is environmentally friendly and contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, while enhancing your organisation’s performance and resilience.
Search on Google for PAS 2060 certification organisations.
Share your progress
Sharing your progress will help employees and customers feel confident that you’re reducing carbon and moving towards net zero.
You should share your progress once you’ve done both of the following:
- worked out a benchmark of emissions
- started to take action
Find out more about how to track and share your progress.