Media, arts and entertainment net zero sector guide

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This net zero guide is for small businesses involved in creating, producing, distributing, and promoting various forms of art, media, and entertainment, including those in:

the film and television industry
the music and audio industry
visual arts
the video game industry
digital media and content creation
broadcasting and journalism
advertising and marketing
media production companies
events management
theatre and performance arts

By reducing emissions in your sector, you can:

demonstrate your commitment to sustainability
save on energy costs
attract new customers and investors

You can also use albert for sustainable TV and film production guidance.

For other sectors, you can find help and advice on how to reduce emissions in our other net zero sector guides.

Understand your organisation’s emissions
Reduce emissions and costs in the media, arts and entertainment sector
Track and share your progress
Insights
Set up a strategy
Get finance and support

Understand your organisation’s emissions

1. Why you should act to reduce emissions

The media, arts, and entertainment sector in the UK is increasingly exposed to various climate-related risks, including extreme weather events. The UK is seeing more intense storms, flooding and high winds that disrupt operations and damage assets. Extreme heat can also threaten health and safety on sets, reduce productivity, and strain cooling systems in indoor venues.

As part of the media, arts and entertainment sector, small businesses have a vital role to play in addressing these urgent challenges and contributing to a sustainable future.

Measuring your greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is an important step for managing costs and moving towards net zero. You can set targets and develop short and long-term plans if you know how much carbon your business produces.

Results from the UK Net Zero Business Census 2024 Report demonstrate that requirements to measure carbon emissions are cascading down through supply chains to affect small businesses:

46% of respondents had received customer or tender applications that required carbon footprint data in the last 12 months.
37% of these respondents were small businesses that fall outside of regulatory requirements like Streamlined Energy & Carbon Reporting (SECR) to report carbon emissions

Some large businesses and public sector organisations are helping suppliers to:

report their emissions, including support to prepare a Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP): a document that summarises current emissions and plans for reducing emissions, and a requirement when bidding for many public sector procurements
identify onsite energy reduction opportunities and improve GHG reporting

Find out more about how to become a ‘net-zero’ ready supplier.

2. How emissions are categorised

The GHG Protocol (Corporate Standard) is widely used to report carbon emissions to the government, suppliers and investors.

The protocol categorises a company’s emissions into direct and indirect emissions:

direct emissions from sources that your company owns and controls
indirect emissions from the company’s activities but occurring at sources owned or controlled by another company

Emissions are further divided into three scopes:

direct emissions are included in scope 1
indirect emissions are included in scope 2 and scope 3

You must measure at least Scopes 1 and 2 to comply with the GHG Protocol.

Scope 1 and 2 emissions

Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions include:

fuel burned on site for heating
vehicles or equipment using petrol or diesel that you own, or directly control in terms of operational use
refrigerant gases
electricity that is purchased or otherwise brought into the organisational boundary of the company:, emissions physically occur at the facility where electricity is generated
process emissions

Scope 3 emissions

Scope 3 emissions are all indirect emissions not included in Scope 2. These emissions occur both upstream (from the supply chain) and downstream of your organisation, for example, through customer use.

According to GOV.UK research, Scope 3 emissions can account for 80 to 95% of a company’s carbon footprint.

Scope 3 emissions come from 15 defined categories but not all categories are relevant or applicable for all organisations in the media, arts and entertainment sector:

Upstream

purchased goods and services
capital goods
fuel and energy-related activities not included in Scope 1 or Scope 2
upstream transportation and distribution*
waste generated in operations*
business travel, including accommodation, contributors’ and audience travel*
employee commuting and working from home*
upstream leased assets

Downstream

transportation and distribution*
processing of sold products
use of sold products
end-of-life treatment of sold products
downstream leased assets
franchises

* Scope 3 emissions categories required alongside Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions when producing a Carbon Reduction Plan

Use the GHG Protocol’s Technical Guidance for Calculating Scope 3 Emissions (PDF) so you can work out your Scope 3 emissions.

3. Use free tools to calculate your emissions

Collect data for a representative period or year for the main activities which release carbon emissions in your organisation.

These main activities may include:

electricity/gas use
waste disposal/recycling
business travel
owned or directly controlled vehicles
employee business travel
employee commuting

Choose one of the free carbon calculators to help you calculate emissions in CO₂ equivalent per year.

You may also choose to use the BAFTA albert Carbon Calculator Tool for TV and film productions, if applicable. The calculator allows you to work out the carbon footprint of your individual series or production.

Other media and arts focused calculators are available for output from other parts of the creative sector, such as:

Ad Green for advertising
Julie’s Bicycle for arts and culture

Calculating your carbon footprint will give you an emissions baseline. This baseline acts a reference point against which you can:

identify where your emission hotspots are
set targets, for example by scope and fuel type, including the year by which you hope to achieve net zero and interim milestones.
measure changes in your greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions going forward

Check Measure your carbon emissions so you can find more about:

what data you need to collect
how to quantify your emissions

You could also consider hiring a sustainability consultant to help you. There are now consultants who specialise in working with the creative sector.

Reduce emissions in the media, arts and entertainment sector

You can reduce emissions in the media, arts and entertainment sector by making changes in these five areas:

Energy

Transport

Resource efficiency

Products

People

Energy

Buildings: Improve energy efficiency and management

1. Audit your energy consumption

Do an assessment in your building to see if energy is being used efficiently.

Speak to your building manager or landlord about common services if you share the building with other tenants. Suggest shared audits to find quick energy-saving wins.

You may wish to contract an energy auditor to do this for you. Your energy audit should be done to one of two standards: BS EN 16247 or ISO 50002.

Monitor energy consumption data

Follow these steps to check your energy consumption:

Check how much your consumption varies on a daily, weekly or monthly basis – do variances make sense?
Check for a high overnight baseload if you can review half-hourly consumption. Can equipment be switched off overnight to reduce out-of-hours demand?
Speak to your supplier, they may be able to share insights into your data and suggest ways that you can reduce your consumption.

Installing energy sensors like sub-meters can help you track and manage your energy use to improve efficiency.

Identify the end uses of energy

Identify the different end uses in your building and check they are operating efficiently. This might help you spot:

lighting issues
excessive use in heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) units or chillers
outdated equipment and machinery

Consider whether you can:

reduce the number of end uses
change the amount of time they’re used for
reduce consumption

You can use the new Energy and Decarbonisation PAS standard to help you improve your energy efficiency. The standard provides a structured approach to assess your energy use and reduce carbon emissions.

Based on your findings from an audit, you might want to consider setting an energy strategy for your business.

Find out more about developing an energy strategy from the Carbon Trust.

2. Improve your energy efficiency

Optimise the use of existing equipment

Optimise the use of existing equipment, or consider replacing energy-intensive equipment with energy-efficient alternatives.

This might include:

replacing older fluorescent lighting with LED lighting
installing variable speed drives (VSDs) to reduce energy and save costs on pumps and fans
choosing energy efficient replacements if you’re replacing equipment at the end of its useful life

Push for modern, high-efficiency equipment in procurement discussions with facility owners.

Consider installing a Building Management System (BMS), or optimising your current system, to ensure the run times of main building services closely match the building occupancy.

Review temperature set points, ensure systems aren’t conflicting, for example, heating is not ‘on’ at the same time as cooling.

Check planning permission guidelines before you make any structural changes to the property.

Find out about more energy efficient measures in commercial building and home energy use.

Review and maintain equipment

Maintain and regularly service equipment to ensure it:

operates at peak efficiency, prolonging its lifespan
reduces waste from early replacement

As part of predictive maintenance, use Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), and tools such as the Internet of Things (IoT) to reduce energy and emissions.

Decarbonise energy use

1. Electrify building services

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions the main action you can take is to reduce the direct burning of fossil fuels.

Replacing existing gas or oil boilers and heating systems with electric options like heat pumps can help.

You can apply for GOV.UK grants to help replace fossil fuel heating with a heat pump. Flexible, low-cost tariffs can also reduce running costs.

Learn more about air and ground source heat pumps and how to get one.

If your building has a diesel back-up generator, consider switching to an electric alternative, like battery storage.

2. Install renewable technologies

Installing solar panels or a wind turbine can reduce your energy bills in the long term as well as your reliance on the grid. If you don’t own your site, work with facility owners to explore on-site renewable options.

Check our resources to:

decide if solar panels are right for your business
find out how to generate energy with a wind turbine

Integrate battery storage systems to manage energy supply during downtime or intermittencies in renewable energy generation. This will ensure a continuous supply of green energy.

Find out if qualify for a business rate exemption if you install renewable energy measures on-site at your business.

3. Switch to a renewable energy tariff

Switching from a default mains electricity supply to a ‘green tariff’ can further reduce your greenhouse gas emissions.

100% renewable electricity supplies will be supported by Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin (REGO) certificates (in the UK), which you can receive from your supplier annually to demonstrate that you’ve purchased electricity from renewable sources.

Speak to your supplier to see whether they offer renewable tariffs, or have a look at other suppliers who offer a variety of tariffs.

Find out more about how to buy your electricity from renewable sources.

4. Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS)

The Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme (ESOS) is a UK government initiative that mainly applies to large businesses. However, some small businesses may still need to comply, for example, if they are part of a larger corporate group that meets the qualification criteria.

You’ll need to carry out an energy audit every four years to assess energy use and identify efficiency improvements if your business is affected.

Check GOV.UK guidance to find out if ESOS applies to you and what steps to take.

Temporary power

1. Electrification

If you have requirements for temporary power, such as filming on location, consider lower carbon options than diesel generators where possible:

mains grid connection, if possible powered by 100% certified renewable electricity
batteries, if possible charged using 100% certified renewable electricity
solar panels (to recharge batteries or supplement other solutions)
hybrid solution (using generators and batteries)
certified hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) instead of diesel fuel for generators

2. Optimise energy use

Improving the efficiency of temporary power technologies, particularly generators, is an important step in the transition to decarbonise temporary power sources.

Generators are typically oversized meaning they operate at a low efficiency. Burning unnecessary fuel leads to increased emissions and fuel costs.

Monitoring consumption data and energy output of technologies will show how efficiently they’re operating.. Review this in line with best practice guidance to increase the efficiency of the technology you’re using. You could consider implementing telematics for detailed data on energy consumption split by different end uses.

You can also review how much you need to distribute power to improve the loading, and therefore efficiency, of the technology you’re using for temporary power.

3. Improve planning to reduce consumption

Understand the right connections planning, channel and placement requirements, and digital requirements at the outset of production to streamline the volume of assets and reshoots needed.

Consider how much, how many and whether teams can work together to maximise power efficiency.

Make sure equipment is switched off wherever possible when it’s not in use.

Transport

1. Reduce the impact of transport

You can reduce emissions by reviewing locations for shoots, including:

expanding the use of virtual production techniques (such as LED stages and CGI) to reduce the need for travel and on-location shoots
careful choice of locations and consolidation of locations, to get the most out of any travel made
consideration of locations that are easily accessible by public transport, and encouragement of the use of public transport (eg Green Employee Travel Policy)
use of local crews, talent, suppliers and kit

You can also reduce emissions from travel by:

improving routes on touring promotions to minimise travel distances
using electric vehicles (see below) where possible
encouraging the use of efficient driving techniques to minimise fuel consumption
using couriers with electric or hybrid vehicles
storing goods locally or onsite to minimise distance travelled
using appropriate delivery vehicles to maximise fill ratios

2. Implement a Green Employee Travel Policy.

A Green Employee Travel Policy prioritises low-carbon travel options by encouraging employees to choose sustainable transportation, accommodation and travel practices, including:

using trains not planes in the UK, and Europe wherever possible
promoting walking, cycling, or public transport for short to medium distance
prioritising electric or hybrid vehicles for car rental
promoting carpooling and ride-sharing services for ground transportation
using video-conferencing for meetings, including online staff onboarding to train your team and short interviews with contributors
partnering with travel agencies that have expertise in sustainable travel

Find out more about how to:

3. Switch to electric vehicles

Consider replacing older vehicles with electric, hybrid, or other energy-efficient vehicles.

Switching to electric vehicles means you would be exempt from road tax, congestion charges and parking fees in certain areas.

You can also claim ‘enhanced capital allowances’ (a type of first year allowances) for:

electric cars
cars with zero CO₂ emissions (new and unused)

Find out about how to install an electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure.

Resource efficiency

Find ways to optimise media assets for media decarbonisation and improve resource efficiency.

1. Managing material use and waste in the media, arts and entertainment sector

You might produce many different types of waste as a media, arts and entertainment business. Consider ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle your creative assets and implement the principles of the Waste Hierarchy:

Reduce
Re-Use
Repurpose
Repair
Recycle
Retail

Materials consists of anything from single used plastics to timber used in set construction. When choosing any materials, it’s important to remember the waste it will create too; promoting circularity where possible is therefore one of the biggest impacts you can have on material usage.

Like anything else, planning for how your waste will be disposed of and what materials you are using is best done right from the off in prep. Planning ahead about how you can prevent waste from being taken to landfill sites is key. Landfill waste takes longer to break down and creates more emissions.

You can implement the Waste Hierarchy in an ethical way by:

consider reuse in the first instance, for example, when building sets, designing costumes
use less material in the design and manufacturing of your productions and props
use sustainable materials where available, for example, FSC certified wood, recycled paper
keep materials and props for reuse at the end of production or project

Design with re-use and recycling in mind:

rent items where possible
reuse materials such as props or sets either in their entirety or turn them into spare parts
refurbish and repair wherever possible before disposing of an item
design with materials which can be recycled where non-reusable

Source Sustainable Materials such as:

wood, metal, plastic, and fabric for set construction and props: use Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood where possible, and recycled aluminium or steel
eliminate virgin plastic, vinyl and PVC
eco-friendly and recycled fabrics for costumes to reduce textile waste from costumes and wardrobes:
recycled materials for promotional goods
recycled canvases, sculptures, or building materials from artwork and exhibits

2. Set up a waste management system

Set up a waste management system to:

conduct a waste audit to identify the types and amounts of waste generated by the business to show opportunities for reduction
establish a system for monitoring and tracking waste generation
regularly review and make adjustments to waste reduction strategies

Train your staff on your recycling plan. Monitor planning and ordering to avoid overstocking and wastage

You should also consider how you deal with electronic waste and hazardous waste, including:

digital devices such as laptops, tablets, and digital consoles
cameras, lighting, and audio equipment
batteries and power cables
paints, chemical and solvents
pyrotechnics and special effects
photographic and film materials

Follow the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations (WEEE Regulations) on how to dispose of electrical or electronic equipment (EEE) and consider donating old, unused equipment which may still be in good condition to schools or charities.

Check your waste-related obligations and how to manage your waste.

3. Reduce emissions the impact from catering

Food’s emissions can be higher than you’d normally expect. The good news is, there are some simple changes that can be made to make catering more sustainable.

Use on-site catering services that have recycling and reuse policies in place. Policies include:

swapping beef and lamb for white meat or plant-based alternatives
reordering your menus (when applicable) to list tasty veggie/vegan options first
challenging your caterers to prioritise delicious veggie breakfasts
going seasonal and sourcing food locally, particularly avoiding air-freighted ingredients; the more local the food, the lower the emissions per meal due to a reduction in transport emissions
donating leftover meals to local communities
composting food waste
eliminating single-use items including plastics such as utensils, plates, cups, and straws
using eco-friendly packaging
minimising waste by planning recipes that make efficient use of raw materials
planning and ordering carefully to avoid overstocking and wastage
training their staff on product shelf life, expiry dates and portion control

4. Use sustainable product packaging

Many props, costumes, or technical equipment are covered with plastic, foam, and cardboard packaging, contributing to waste.

Set a company policy on packaging sustainability. Assign internal responsibility for packaging emissions.

Use packaging that is:

reusable, for example, pallets and protective blankets over plastic or cardboard boxes with bubble wrap
compact – oversized packaging is often filled with unnecessary air
lightweight – consider using packaging made from a single material to help consumers recycle
uses bulk packaging – avoid unnecessary individual wrapping of items

Use responsibly sourced, recycled and recyclable packaging such as:

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.

5. Improve print sustainability

Go paperless and move to digital where possible to reduce the need to print.

Use responsibly sourced paper, PEFC / FSC certified paper, recycled and recyclable materials in the printing process including non-toxic and biodegradable inks. Print on both sides of the page.

6. Minimise the impact of digital content creation and distribution

Focus on digital alternatives for content such as:

streaming solutions that only show assets as and when they are needed to be seen by the end consumer: preloading puts greater demand on server energy
compressing digital creative files and considering shorter formats: longer form assets and heavy file sizes generate greater GHG output
avoiding auto-play as a default setting
minimal-print advertising
those that have a file retention policy, for example, store for 3 years maximum, to minimise energy used for storage of documents which aren’t opened again

Use energy-efficient data centres powered by renewable energy for low-carbon content distribution.

Consider network usage or energy sources when distributing media.

Review how data is stored and transacted in media campaigns. Streamline so that data usage is as energy efficient as possible.

7. Save water and reduce your carbon footprint

You can reduce water consumption, and also save money on your bills, by:

monitoring your water use
fixing leaks
installing low-flow fixtures and water-efficient facilities
recycling water (greywater recycling) or reusing rainwater (rainwater harvesting)

Find out more about how to lower bills and water use in Save water and reduce your carbon footprint.

8. Consider the natural environmental resources at your site

From 2024, small site developments must be ‘nature positive’, delivering a 10% benefit for nature. Developers must assess the type of habitat and its condition they plan to affect before submitting plans to the local planning authority, leaving nature more effectively in and around developments.

Find out more about your obligations on GOV.UK’s Understanding Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG).

Products

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 suppliers and products (upstream)

Engaging your suppliers is one of the best things you can do to reduce your product emissions as the majority of emissions come from these choices. .

Include energy efficiency in your procurement considerations, especially electronic devices you purchase.

You can reduce your upstream emissions by asking questions during procurements on a supplier’s sustainability practices such as:

low carbon initiatives
net zero targets
carbon tracking and reporting

Incorporate suppliers’ responses into your decision-making process.

Consider how the decisions you make may impact the sustainability of the goods and services being supplied to you, for example, materials and location.

Actively look for suppliers who:

have a track record of low carbon operations
have Science Based net zero or equivalent targets and/or are signed up to the SME Climate Commitment
have a net zero Transition plan or decarbonisation roadmap
develop products that are energy efficient, taking less energy to make, transport and operate
can track and report their carbon emissions to you
have low carbon product labels and certifications
are local to lower transportation emissions

You can reduce your upstream emissions by helping your suppliers with their carbon reduction plans.

Direct your suppliers to how to become a ‘net-zero’ ready supplier so they can find out more about how to implement an effective carbon reduction strategy.

Check these resources to find out more on how to engage with your suppliers:

2. Reduce impacts from the use and disposal of your products (downstream)

You can reduce downstream emissions by:

making products that take less energy to make, transport, consume and operate
reducing water consumption and waste disposal needs
making investments in lower carbon financial products
giving incentives for lower emission activities in franchises and leased assets, such as office space or vehicles

3. Get product labels and certifications

You can use low carbon labels (otherwise known as eco labels or green stickers) and sustainability certifications to show that you:

meet environmental standards
are reducing emissions

TV and film Productions can also achieve the BAFTA albert Sustainable Production certification by successfully completing a Carbon Action Plan in the albert production toolkit for a given production. A certification scheme for audio production is being developed by the BBC, EcoAudio.

Find out more about how to get low carbon product labels and certifications.

4. Commit to net zero merchandising

Commit to merchandise meeting the following credentials:

branded to network brands rather than specific campaigns/events to allow re-use.
working with a supplier who utilises recycled and sustainable materials to develop the merchandise
considers carbon footprint, for example, the goods should not be produced in multiple global locations
sends merchandising out by sustainable couriers only, utilising electric or hybrid vehicles
has removed any flights from prizes/competitions for audience members, including options with sustainable travel and accommodation

People

1. Get your staff engaged in your carbon reduction plan

You can create an energy management role or groups so you can make energy savings:

a business priority
part of your business long-term

Get your team involved in carbon reduction measures such as:

a ‘switch off policy’ in staff areas: turning off and unplugging devices and lights when they’re not being used can make a difference
a cycle-to-work initiative
encouraging the use of public transport
engaging them on recycling initiatives

Offer training sessions on sustainable practices, including:

energy and water conservation
waste management
use of green products

Use video-conferencing for meetings, including online staff onboarding to train your team.

Find out more about:

2. Promote sustainability

By promoting sustainable practices to their audiences, companies in the media, arts, and entertainment sector can raise awareness about sustainability and encourage more people to take action.

Create collaborative opportunities around sustainability with:

industry partners
sustainability bodies
event organisers

Use your sector’s influence to raise public awareness. You can inspire sustainable practices through:

storytelling
public service announcements
social media campaigns
press releases

Engage with local communities and stakeholders to support environmental restoration and rehabilitation efforts.

Create a sustainability strategy that incorporates ESG goals such as:

reducing emissions
protecting biodiversity
promoting responsible sourcing
promoting wildlife conservation

Track and share your progress

1. Make a public commitment to achieve net zero by 2050 or earlier

You can sign up to the SME Climate Commitment. To align with the SME Climate Commitment, businesses need to commit to:

cutting Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by at least 50% by 2030 using 2019 or later as the base year
reaching net zero by 2050 or sooner

All businesses making the SME Climate Commitment should also aim to halve their most material Scope 3 emissions by 2030.

For small businesses, the most significant scope 3 emissions often come from purchased goods and services.

2. Monitor and report your emissions data

After you have made a public commitment to reduce your emissions, you should regularly monitor and report your emissions data against your established baseline.

The SME Climate Commitment offers the SME Reporting Tool for small businesses and institutions. This helps create annual sustainability reports and track their reduction efforts.

If applicable, you may also choose to use the BAFTA Albert Carbon Calculator Tool for productions. The calculator allows you to work out the carbon footprint of your production. Other media and arts focused calculators are available for output from other parts of the creative sector, such as:

Ad Green for advertising
Julie’s Bicycle for arts and culture

Show what your company is doing to meet its targets and the impact of your initiatives on your company’s emissions.

You can share:

your annual reports on your website
add reported data into annual business reports
directly distribute reports to customers, funders and suppliers

Check how to track and share your progress.

You may also be asked by your customers to report your emissions data and decarbonisation activities into third party platforms such as Carbon Disclosure Project (CPD), Ecovadis or BAFTA albert. Guidance for how to report to each of these can be found on their respective websites.

Insights

Find out what other businesses are doing to reduce emissions and cut costs in our case studies. For example, discover how Glyndebourne opera house made large reductions in costs from generating its own energy and reducing gas and electricity use.

Find out about the latest thinking in our thought leadership articles.

Join webinars and events to gain insights into what other small businesses are doing to get to net zero.

Set up a strategy

Find more support and guidance to help you build and deliver your net zero strategy:

sustainable TV and film production from albert
TV and film programme makers can use the BBC Sustainable Content: end to end guide to find requirements, processes and tools to reduce the carbon footprint of content and achieve albert certification
the Advertising Association (AA)’s Ad Net Zero for advertising businesses and media agencies
Julie’s Bicycle for the arts and creative sector
Audio UK’s Sustainability Guidelines for audio producers, indies and freelancers

You can also find advice in:

Get BSI’s free guidance for small businesses on helping them create transition plans: BSI Flex 3030 v2.0:2024-12 | 31 Dec 2024 | BSI Knowledge.

Get financial support in your region

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These support schemes and networks are available in East Midlands:

Green Entrepreneurs Programme has a small grants from £10,000 to £20,000 and a large grant that starts at £100,000 – must be located in Derbyshire County
Grants4Growth for the South and East Lincolnshire Councils Partnership area, consisting of the 3 districts of Boston, East Lindsey and South Holland, has secured over £2m of UKSPF funding to deliver practical business support to local companies. The Grants4Growth project, launched in early July 2023, will support local businesses to invest in their future, awarding both capital and revenue grants to Small & Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) looking to grow.
Staffordshire Moorlands UKSPF funding is available for the Staffordshire Moorlands Local Authority area. Visit their site for information on grants and funding opportunities available as part of the UKSPF funding awarded to the council.
UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) Business Sustainability Grant for North Lincolnshire supports businesses in reducing their energy related overheads whilst also seeking to reduce the regions CO2 emissions as a direct result. Businesses must be based within North Lincolnshire. The maximum grant per business is £5,000 and the minimum grant per business is £500.
UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) and Rural England Prosperity Fund Business Grants in West Lindsey is specifically intended for businesses in West Lindsey aiming to reduce their carbon footprint and improve energy efficiency. Key priorities for this scheme are (1) clean and green productivity; (2) sustainable rural growth and (3) the transition to a circular economy.
University of Derby’s Invest to Grow programme gives grants and loans from £15,000 to £250,000 to B2B companies in the East Midlands that create jobs in different sectors, including low carbon
Visit Peak District and Derbyshire has links to grants from local authorities and UK Shared Prosperity Fund Business Grants.

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These support schemes and networks are available across the UK:

Apprenticeships – explore the different funding opportunities available to support you when hiring apprentices.
Business rates relief – some businesses in England are eligible for a reduction in their business rates bill. This is called ‘business rates relief’. The rules for business rates relief are different if your property is in Scotland, your property is in Wales or your property is in Northern Ireland.
Capital allowances – businesses who are eligible can fully expense their plant and machinery costs and access 50% first-year allowances for special rate expenditure from April 2023 until 31 March 2026
Clean Growth Fund invests in early stage UK companies seeking investment capital for low carbon activities
Electric vehicle chargepoint and infrastructure grant guidance provides information on grants to help with the costs of purchase and installation for businesses, commercial and residential landlords, and in residential carparks and on-street parking
Energy Saving Trust’s ‘Transport for funding for businesses and local authorities’ for information on low carbon transport grants and loans available in the UK and Scotland
Gigabit vouchers give up to £1,500 for homes and £3,500 for businesses to install high speed internet in rural areas
Green Economy allows SMEs to buy and sell low carbon products and services to other businesses
Green Skills Bootcamps are part of the Government’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee. They are designed to provide industry relevant training and sector-based skills for eligible individuals or those who are self-employed. Employers can use the list of Skills Bootcamps training providers to find local colleges and providers to work with.
Industrial Energy Transformation Fund gives matching funds to businesses with high energy use from industrial processes matching funds – up to £30M for feasibility studies, efficiency measures and decarbonisation deployment. For queries about the IETF for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, contact IETF@beis.gov.uk. For queries about the Scottish Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (SIETF), contact IETF@gov.scot
VAT will no longer be charged from 2022 to 2027 on some domestic energy saving measures in England, Scotland and Wales. Eligible measures include insulation, heat pumps, solar panels, wind turbines and more. In Northern Ireland, the list of qualifying goods and rate of VAT due on installations will remain unchanged. The Northern Ireland Executive will receive a Barnett share of the value of the relief until it can be introduced UK-wide.
Workplace Charging Scheme gives businesses up to £350 per socket (up to a total of 40) to install electric vehicle chargepoints (apply before 31 March 2026)
Wrap supports a voluntary agreement on food waste – the Courtauld Commitment 2030 – which enables collaborative action across the entire UK food chain to deliver farm-to-fork reductions in food waste, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and water stress that will help the UK food and drink sector achieve global environmental goals