Your net zero plan

You selected ‘Manufacturing and production’ and ‘North East England’
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Understand your business emissions

1) What causes emissions

Direct carbon emissions produced by manufacturing and production include:

energy use – electricity and gas for lighting, heating and machinery
general waste – when it is not recycled and ends up at landfill sites
transport – using petrol or diesel vehicles to deliver products

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 support

1) Support in your sector

You can get guidance on energy efficiency from the Manufacturers’ Organisation (MAKE UK) and the Confederation of British Industry.

Funding for digital technology is available from UK research and Innovation (UKRI), as part of the national Made Smarter movement.

Visit MAKEuk to download their manufacturing net zero roadmap (PDF)

You can also learn how to run your business in a more environmentally friendly way by hiring a sustainability consultant.

2) Get financial support for your region

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These support schemes and networks are available in North East England:

Durham’s North East Business Support Fund gives SMEs up to £3,200 in matching funds for business improvements
Northumberland’s North East Business Support Fund gives SMEs up to £2,800 in matching funds for business improvements
North of Tyne Growth Fund gives SMEs up to 30% in matching funds when they plan to invest at least £67,000 in premises improvements and other capital costs. Must be located in Newcastle, North Tyneside or Northumberland.
Newcastle, North Tyneside and Northumberland’s Business Energy Saving Team (BEST) offers free advice, energy efficiency audits and grant support to help SMEs to reduce energy use and costs

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Actions you can take right now

1) Save energy at your office and work buildings

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
machinery and ventilation – carry out regular checks and maintenance

2) Do an energy walk-round

Walk around your buildings and see where energy is being used.

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 course.

Longer term actions

1) Make changes to your factory or workplace

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.

Heat recovery systems

Waste heat from industrial processes can be converted into energy. Find out more about heat recovery systems

Learn how to cut costs and carbon emissions from process heating.

2) Make your compressed air system more efficient

You can do this by:

reducing compressor pressure
identifying and fixing leaks
recovering lost heat and using it for space heating

Find out more about efficient use of compressed air systems

3) Use smart technology

This will help you improve productivity and efficiency. Options include:

robotics – automated production ensures greater precision and use of assets
3D printing – helps efficient use of materials, extending life cycle of parts
digital twin technology – creates digital replicas of assets to avoid producing waste
Artificial Intelligence (AI) – uses predictive analysis to optimize productivity and predict inconsistencies

Find out more about smart technology for manufacturing

4) Install high efficiency motors

Electric motor-driven systems often use more power than they need to. Find out how to reduce energy use with high efficiency motors and variable speed drives.

Learn more about how to optimise motors.

5) Remanufacture

Rebuilding goods out of used materials is common practice in the automotive, energy, aerospace and rail industries.

By restoring end-of-life goods to working order, you can keep the cost of raw materials, energy and water to a minimum. You’ll also have less waste to dispose of.

Find out more from the Scottish Remanufacturing Institute, wherever you are in the UK.

6) Use sustainable product packaging

Replace plastic with recycled or compostable substitutes.

Types of sustainable packing include:

plant-based packaging
edible packaging – made from seaweed extract
compostable and biodegradable plastic alternatives
plantable packaging – which is made from seeds and can be buried in soil

Find sustainable packaging companies

7) Reduce transport emissions

Over a quarter of the UK’s carbon emissions are caused by transport.

You can take measures to reduce emissions from 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

PAS 2060 is the internationally recognised standard that recognises your efforts towards carbon neutrality.

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.