How are UK businesses approaching the net-zero transition? Find out with edie’s new Barometer

The Barometer report has been published today (7 July) and is free to access 

The race is on. Thousands of businesses large and small are committing to radically reduce emissions across all scopes swiftly and fairly, in line with the Paris Agreement. But are those commitments backed up by clear action plans and robust near-term targets? And what further support is needed?

To find out, edie has launched a new bi-annual survey for sustainability and energy professionals working in-house at organisations of all sizes and sectors – the Net-Zero Business Barometer. 

— CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FREE BAROMETER REPORT — 

Hosted in partnership with Inspired Energy, the first edition of the in-depth online survey for the Barometer was open to respondents during June 2021, attracting 161 responses*. This brand new report analyses the responses, providing a snapshot of net-zero progress to date and organisations’ plans for the near future. 

The survey will be repeated bi-annually, allowing for year-on-year comparisons and the identification of key net-zero business trends, covering topics including target-setting, technology pathways, green skills and policy support. 

Questions answered in this free report include: 

– What proportion of UK businesses have set a net-zero target, and which deadlines are most common?

– How are businesses working on decarbonisation across the supply chain?

– What are the biggest challenges to becoming a net-zero business?

– Do professionals believe the UK Government will deliver on its 2050 net-zero commitment? 

– What are the most important skills in the net-zero transition? 

This Barometer has been sponsored by Inspired Energy and developed in association with edie’s Net-Zero Leaders Club – a purpose-driven community which connects, informs and inspires energy and carbon professionals to accelerate the net-zero transition through an annual programme of informative industry events, exclusive policy and technology insights, and unrivalled collaborative opportunities. Find out more about the Club and its membership offering here.

— CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FREE BAROMETER REPORT — 

edie Staff 

* Survey methodology & respondent base

This report is based on a survey conducted online, via edie.net, in June 2021. The survey, comprising 20 questions, received 161 responses – of which, 55% were in-house sustainability/CSR managers, 17% were in-house energy/carbon managers and 28% were other in-house professionals who held some level of responsibility for managing and/or delivering their own organisation’s decarbonisation strategy.

Of the 161 respondents, 87% were UK-based, with those based in Europe making up most of the remainder. Respondents represented a diverse range of sectors, with construction, manufacturing, the public sector and suppliers of environmental products and services among the biggest cohorts. When it comes to the size of the organisations represented, 27% were large (5,000+ employees); 24% had between 1,000 and 4,900 employees; 14% had between 250 and 999 employees; 14% had between 50 and 249 employees; and the remaining 21% was an even split between small (10-49 employees) and micro (1-9 employees) organisations.