Made famous for highlighting the extreme success a founder can achieve if their idea hits the jackpot, a 1999 photo of Jeff Bezos at his first desk with Amazon – sat in front of a homemade banner – typifies the unglamorous beginnings of a startup. Few therefore could have expected that just over two decades later, Amazon would emit 71.54 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide in a single year. While $2 billion has been sanctioned by the business to launch a venture capital fund to invest in new climate technologies, as well as a pledge to achieve net zero by 2040, the e-commerce giant is a symbol that no matter how popular a business may be, it’s footprint can be extensive. In fact, many smaller businesses are effectively flying in the dark. A recent study by Enterprise Research Centre estimates that just 1% of SMEs in England are accessing net-zero business support. Analysing this issue closer to home, the UK’s leading sustainability corporate consultants, SaveMoneyCutCarbon (SMCC) argues that the addressing of carbon footprint emitted from Britain’s population of 5.5 million SMEs, and bridging the knowledge gap of founders, is just as vital as those of Square Mile corporations in meeting the nation’s net zero targets.
Whilst 100 global companies have been responsible for 71% of global emissions since 1988, according to the Carbon Majors Report, the UK finds itself on the precipice of failing on net zero targets by 2050 as a staggering 87% of British SMEs are unaware of their carbon impact. With a further 77% having no plan in place to reduce their carbon footprint over the next three years, Britain’s founder knowledge gap in tackling carbon emissions serves as a significant threat. Whilst institutional schemes are in place to ease the process of investing into green businesses, such as the London Stock Exchange’s Voluntary Carbon Market, channelling capital into projects that contribute to reducing the amount of greenhouse gases admitted into Main Market and Alternative Investment Market (AIM) platforms, minimal support is still available for those within the SME level.
Nominated as one the 13 fastest growing and potentially most impactful business in Europe by Unreasonable Group, the CEO of SMCC, Mark Sait advocates for an overhaul of our collective behaviours in Britain, in order to achieve mass adoption, which in turn will compliment the sophistication of climate technologies.
Channelled through a ‘saving money through sustainability’ model, SMCC aims to bridge the knowledge gap faced by founders and C-suite executives by providing an industry-first, end-to-end solution in the form of a six-point plan that addresses Scope 1-4 emissions created by a business (Scope 4 argued by SMCC as the carbon literacy of employees). The steps for such an approach include:
Carbon Mentor call – a business will be assigned a dedicated Carbon Mentor to understand the present situation within a business and their decarbonisation ambitions
Baseline report – from the call, SMCC’s platform creates an easy-to-understand Scope 1, Scope 2 baseline carbon footprint and guidance on Scope 3 and Scope 4 (staff carbon literacy)
Built Environment Audit – SMCC’s team then audit the building(s) to identify the money, energy, water, and carbon savings available
Creation of investment grade proposals & tailored finance
Design, supply & installation of proven products and solutions
Staff Engagement – SMCC’s EcoWise app & programme provides measured and rewarded learning improving carbon literacy
The above plan has helped SMCC deliver over 1000 projects to businesses across the UK, in turn saving 32 million kilowatt hours of energy, 772 million litres of water and 24 million tonnes of carbon reduction.
Mark Sait, CEO of SaveMoneyCutCarbon, commented the following on the importance of behavioural change in the UK:
“I think what the British public really want is clear guidance and support, which can often get lost amongst the political and economic debacle. Other countries across Europe are educating people on these sorts of energy reductions in the home and in businesses – in a similar way that people were advised to change their behaviour during the COVID crisis. It was as much about clever science as it was about widespread behaviour change.
“Governments can establish rules and enforce, but it is businesses like SaveMoneyCutCarbon that need to create new ways of doing things, creating new business practices with positive measured outcomes. There needs to be. a positive framework to invest in and help grow businesses like SMCC as we deliver back more than shareholder returns.”
