Seven ways to drive your business to net zero carbon by 2050

Our recent survey of 1000 UK businesses, the Net Zero Barometer Report, found that many companies were committed to net zero targets,but were unsure where to start.

If you’re a BSI member who is not sure either, or you want to ensure you’re on the right track to a carbon-free business, these seven recommendations provide a framework for action.

Clearly, there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to reaching net zero, but there are a number of things that organisations can do to better prepare for the journey ahead.

1. Look beyond carbon offsets.
Offsetting might be your first milestones to address sustainability issues, but it is important to move beyond offsetting and develop plans around reduction and capture on the journey to net zero. Taking a more holistic approach and pioneering sector and business specific innovations, you’ll have the opportunity to create real and lasting impact.

2. Take a strategic and specific approach.
Go beyond investing solely in measures that provide short-term benefits. Net zero is a highly ambitious goal, and meeting it needs strategic planning and resourcing. As with the GHG guidelines, it is important to recognize that such an approach must continue to evolve to reflect specific sector and practitioner needs.

3. Select the right tools, guidance and approach for your business.
Volvo Cars has committed to becoming a climate neutral company by 2040. Its ambitions go beyond addressing tailpipe emissions. It is acting on the electrification of its entire product portfolio, and tackling carbon emissions in its manufacturing network, its wider operations, its supply chain and through recycling and reuse of materials.
The firm was the first conventional car maker to commit to all-out electrification and a phasing out of cars powered only by an internal combustion engine. Since 2019, every new Volvo launched has been electrified. An excellent example of a company selecting the right approach for its business model.

4. Widen your vision to look outside your organisation.
For those companies that are able to make considered, impactful changes to their business, the work doesn’t end there. Utilizing and verifying to appropriate standards can support your efforts to encourage change across the businesses you work with.

5. Invest in skills.
Net zero requires science-based reductions. Our understanding of how to achieve it is constantly evolving and improving. Although the majority of respondents in our survey felt that they do have the skills to achieve net zero, chances are the skills required may change in time. Continual investment in your workforce is vital to ensure that they develop the skills to make a difference..

6. Encourage an open conversation.
This is a challenge faced by all corners of society, and will require a collective effort to overcome it. To support the appetite for change, external organizations and experts must come together with government to provide a wealth of guidance that can be used by all organizations – not just those large companies with the resources to make big changes. We must all encourage knowledge-sharing and engage in an open conversation between the private and public sectors.

7. Commit to science and standard-based targets.
While many businesses have committed to achieving net zero targets across a range of timescales, our report findings revealed varying degrees of understanding as to the true extent of the change required to achieve net zero. If you follow best practice established by recognised standards and climate bodies means your organisation will be aware of the wide-range barriers and targets for 2050, and ensure meaningful progress towards net zero.

To understand where UK businesses stand on net zero, download the full BSI Net Zero Barometer report here.

Destination Net Zero. Standards to consider

Here's a simplified useful list of the key standards to consider when building your journey to reach net zero:

• BS EN ISO 14064-1 Greenhouse gases. Specification with guidance at the organization level for quantification and reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and removals
• BS EN ISO 14001 Environmental management systems. Requirements with guidance for use
• BS EN ISO 50001 Energy management systems. Requirements with guidance for use
• BS ISO 50005 Energy management systems. Guidelines for a phased implementation. Download for free
• PAS 2060 Specification for the demonstration of carbon neutrality
• PAS 2080 Carbon management in infrastructure
• PAS 2050 Specification for the assessment of the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of goods and services
• PAS 2070+A1 Specification for the assessment of greenhouse gas emissions of a city. Direct plus supply chain and consumption-based methodologies

All available in the new BSI Shop.