Businesses that want to be more sustainable and potentially save on costs, now have an opportunity to join a like-minded community and learn about the steps they need to take on their carbon neutral journey.

The Climate Springboard programme – provided by a partnership between the Edinburgh Climate Change Institute (ECCI), the University of Edinburgh and Royal Bank of Scotland – is designed to guide SMEs as they take action to succeed in a net zero economy.

The programme, consisting of three, two-hour workshops, is free for any Scottish based business in all sectors that have a turnover of less than £25million. It supports them to become leaders in the zero-carbon transition and to respond to the climate emergency, while realising the opportunities provided by the transition to net zero.

If you are interested in enrolling your business in the Climate Springboard programme, you can register by completing a short questionnaire.

Alison Wood, manager of the programme, says: “Completing this programme provides much more than just a greater understanding around climate. Businesses will learn how to drastically reduce their costs, increase their customers, and meet new regulations. Using easy-to-follow resources, businesses will be able to start taking action immediately.”

The programme provides training to create strategies that are in line with industry standards and are communicated effectively as SMEs take their first steps towards net zero.

During the programme, businesses will learn how to set a carbon footprint boundary and calculate a footprint effectively following guidance from the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. This will ensure appropriate carbon reduction measures are taken.

Each business should finish the training with a Carbon Reduction Strategy. This document details the businesses’ carbon footprint, outlines their key climate targets and explains what actions should be taken to reduce their emissions.

As well as providing an internal plan for taking climate action, the Carbon Reduction Strategy document is increasingly requested by funders, tenders and customers. Businesses are also placing increased pressure on their supply chains to take climate action, and having a Carbon Reduction Strategy can help.

As Alison explains: “We understand the challenges and constraints businesses face, so we designed the programme to tie climate action with other business priorities. We focus on strategies and actions that are time-efficient, resource-efficient and can help businesses reduce costs now.

“The desire to take climate action, alongside rising costs, and increasing regulation are universal challenges facing businesses. We recognise this and the programme is designed to help overcome these challenges.”

Dozens of businesses – from lawyers, vets, and manufacturers to clothing shops and hotels –have already taken part in Climate Springboard, and feedback from past participants indicates that they value the action-orientated nature of the programme.

Key success stories include a hospitality business that used the programme’s electricity reduction plan and was able to cut their electricity bills by 20%, purely through behavioural changes. Others have been able to calculate their carbon data and provide it to customers to help retain contracts.

Importantly, all past participants have taken some action to reduce their carbon emissions because of the training.

Royal Bank Carbon Planner tool

If you’d like help to track, and potentially reduce your carbon footprint, additional help is available using the free Royal Bank Carbon Planner tool.