30th August 2023 Posted by - Alexander Accountancy
SME Climate Hub + Net Zero design competition
The SME Climate Hub is here to help small businesses deliver on their climate goals and they have developed free, practical resources specifically tailored to support SMEs on their net zero journey, through strategic emission reductions and opportunities for climate leadership.
Businesses can calculate their emissions with the Business Carbon Calculator, learn how to take action with the Climate Fit education course, and access support through the Financial Support guide and 1.5°C Business Playbook.
Research shows that such measures can significantly save companies on their overheads. For example:
- switching to EVs can not only cut running costs but also lower servicing and maintenance costs by around 40% compared to petrol or diesel cars;
- with up to half of companies’ overall electricity bill coming from lighting, making changes such as switching to LED bulbs can help shave up to 40% off bills;
- giving drivers fuel efficiency training can help save companies an average of 15% on fuel use and carbon emissions in transporting goods.
The new support is aimed particularly at 5.5 million small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) in the UK, with business and industry accounting for around 25% of emissions. Research shows that 90% of SMEs are keen to tackle climate change but find it difficult to know how or where to start to find the right solutions to reduce their carbon footprint.
Studies also show 85% of consumers are more likely to buy from a business with a reputation for sustainability, meaning going green can help grow the economy.
The SME Climate Hub has also partnered with Oxford University to provide SMEs with a library of external tools that offer additional support to small businesses taking concrete steps towards climate action.
See: Tools and resources – SME Climate Hub
Net Zero Living: User focused design competition
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will work with micro, small or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to invest up to £3.8 million in innovation projects. These will be to support the net zero agenda.
The Design Council will support the implementation of this competition by providing bespoke support to your project.
The aim of this competition is to support ambitious, early-stage growth businesses in developing your net zero products or services to meet demand.
This support will include budget to hire the expertise of living laboratories to test your products or services with end users, so they better meet the requirement of the target market.
Your project must focus on the development of your product or service and demonstrating it in a relevant market. The user focus can be achieved by testing the product or service in a living laboratory and demonstrating results that will both support the net zero agenda and answer a market need. Your total grant funding request must be between £50,000 and £100,000.
The closing date for applications is Wednesday 4 October 2023.
