Net Zero Plan? 64% of business have no plan.

Over a third (36%) of UK businesses, surveyed in the latest research from Mitie energy, have in place a strategy for achieving Net Zero carbon emissions by 2029. Many are confident they can achieve this goal ahead of 2025. 

This is great news and inspires confidence in our ability as a society to slow down the ever increasing temperature and begin the journey of reversing the damage. 

However, the majority of the companies surveyed do not have an actionable, step by step plan of HOW they’re going to achieve this. Yes that’s right – 64% of businesses.

A big insight into how they expect to be able to achieve this comes from the respondents top 5 actions they can take.

How Can Businesses Become Net Zero?

At the top of the list is improved reusing and reducing resources. Although a great deal is written about the importance of switching to clean renewable energy, it appears that businesses are keenly aware that this will only get them part of the way to net zero. There are many other areas that demand a step change in how business is conducted.

1. Reducing and reusing resources (56%)
2. Reducing energy/carbon consumption in offices (52%)
3. Staff education (44%)
4. Procuring green energy (39%)
5. Reducing the amount of travel (39%)

Reduce & Reuse Resources

Improving reuse is a relatively easy step to take, and one that can reap huge rewards in terms of achieving net zero in a transparent and largely straight forward way.

Reuse marketplaces and networks provide businesses with a simple, efficient and cost effective opportunity to transform their waste footprint and radically reduce their carbon emissions. The process of clearing offices and workplaces of surplus stuff remains the same, the results however are radically different to traditional clearance and waste disposal.

WRAP estimated that more than 51% of all bulky waste – think office furniture, equipment, fixtures and fittings or anything that doesn’t get dropped into a bin – could be reused. 

Reyooz figures suggest this figure is significantly higher. We’ve reused 97% of everything we have cleared from our clients sites with just 3% having been recycled.

Reyooz has divertered more than 500 tonnes of waste from disposal – that’s not zero to landfill, that’s zero to waste. Embodied carbon savings, estimated using the ICE dataset, are over 5,000 tonnes or enough to power 10,000 houses for more than 10 years.

The greatest tangible benefit is however the social impact. Reuse results in massive social impact. Charities, schools, community groups and small businesses have shared in more than £3 million of furniture and equipment that has built health centres, refurbished schools and opened new charity centres – fuelling the third and public sector with massive savings that are then invested into what matters – the life changing work they do.