Calling all Warwickshire SMEs
Have you ever noticed that sustainability is being talked about more and more, both at home and in business?
Do you feel like this is a key issue for your business but don’t know how to respond?
What if you could gain a greater awareness of sustainability, see how it can benefit your business and have key quick wins to try in your own business?
This webinar series, run in partnership with Warwick District Council and Warwickshire County Council and supported by Stratford-on-avon Council, will cover how going green can benefit your business and open the door to the emerging low carbon market.
The series is made up of six events. Each event will hold key insight into how sustainability can improve your business and increase resilience. It is because of this that we strongly recommend you attend all sessions.
The webinar series will cover:
- What does Net Zero mean for your SME? 15 March 13:00 – 14:30
- Funding Support and Opportunities for your SME – 29 March 13:00 – 14:30
- Reduce your waste, increase profitability – 5 April 13:00 – 14:30
- Greener Transport – 26 April 13:00 – 14:30
- Energy saving in your small business – 10 May 12.00 – 13:30
- Engaging your employees and customers – 24 May 13:00 – 14:30
Why should you attend?
The UK Government has set a target to reach Net Zero carbon emissions by 2050. It has also enshrined this in law, so the target will have to be met, and your business will be part of the solution.
The ‘Carrot’: To achieve this the Government now requires business contracts over £5M to have a Net Zero Plan in place. Other public sector organisations, like the NHS are also developing similar requirements, and the private sector is following this trend.
Even though your SME may not deal directly with the public sector, you will still be required to show how your business contributes to the overall value chain. Your B2B customers will be asking how your business can help them with their own contractual Net Zero commitments.
The ‘Stick’: Legislation is being introduced to ensure that if your business doesn’t take the ‘carrot’ then there will be punitive financial costs through increased business taxes (eg Extended Producer Responsibility Packaging taxes and Carbon tax, expected to increase to £100 per tonne by 2030). Energy and material prices have also increased massively recently and are expected to continue rising. Retail customers are also increasingly asking for evidence of what your business is doing to ‘save the planet’. 80% of customers say that when looking at products that are similar in price, they would choose the one that is most environmentally friendly.
When do you need to do it?
2050 may seem a long way off, but rapid changes are required to achieve Net Zero and customers are demanding action now! Businesses are already making these changes and taking advantage of these short term quick wins. Net Zero has been coined the next industrial revolution, so if you’re a business in Warwickshire, sign up to this webinar series today, because it makes business sense.
Slingshot