Please tell us a bit about your role and organisation?

I’m the managing director of SmartCarbon. We provide training, reporting software and consultancy to help organisations understand, report and reduce their emissions.

My specific role includes strategic input into the business’s direction and the design of our guided reporting programmes, including the SmartCarbon Calculator. I also support the design and delivery of CPD courses on net zero at Northumbria University and the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA), and am frequently invited to deliver presentations; in fact I spoke at the inaugural Net Zero North East England summit in 2022. 
 
What is your approach to supporting clients on their net zero journey?

SmartCarbon has a very distinctive approach in what is a busy marketplace. Firstly, we are one of the most established operators – launching in 2016 – and we very much see ourselves as experts in the region. We also have the UK’s only co-accredited University and IEMA advanced carbon course.

We aim to provide our clients with the knowledge, skills, tools and support to measure, report and reduce their carbon emissions. They can request as little or as much support as they want, but our approach is to build a relationship that enables clients to bring the exercise in house, rather than rely on an outsourced solution.  

We help our clients develop Net Zero targets and carbon reduction plans that marry their ambition with the realities of the sector in which they operate – all while offering a competitively priced solution.

Why do organisations report their carbon emissions?

In 2019 the UK government introduced Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR), which legally requires all large businesses (defined under the Companies Act) to publish their carbon footprint. All the information is made available via Companies House.

From 2024, all organisations tendering for work in the public sector will be required to have a carbon reduction plan in place. This currently already applies to those tendering for larger value frameworks.

Of course there are other reasons that businesses are looking to be transparent about their carbon reductions. There is increasing demand, and a level of expectation, from employees, customers, stakeholders and investors that businesses do more to reduce their impact on the environment. 
 
Why have supply chain emissions not been more of a focus until now, and what are the challenges you are helping organisations to overcome?
 
This is one of the most challenging aspects of carbon reporting and reduction – but it’s also one of the most impactful. I firmly believe this is an area where the business sector can grab the bull by the horns and make a real difference.

An organisation’s supply chain typically accounts for around 60-90% of total carbon emissions. We have one client whose supply chain emissions account for 96% of their total footprint! At SmartCarbon we follow the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, which outlines four approaches to reporting supply chain emissions. 

If we take Newcastle Hospitals as an example, SmartCarbon worked with the Trust to develop a simple five step reporting framework for suppliers. It’s proved so effective the initiative has won five awards and is recognised as leading practice in the sector. Of its 3,400 supplier base, more than 780 are engaged in tracking progress towards the goal of reaching net zero carbon by 2040. 
 
What do you think are the barriers to making faster progress towards net zero?
 
It’s clear we’re not making progress fast enough. The scientific community now say that it is expected we will exceed the rise in global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius, with some scientists expecting up to 3.2 degrees Celsius of warming. This is a very precarious position for the global biosphere, economy, and society at large. However, whilst this is the path we are on, it is still possible to avert the worst of the climate crisis if we act urgently and with ambition. It’s what we do between now and 2030 that really matters.

From the organisations I speak to, many are frustrated by the constant change in policy from government – for example, postponing the ban on the sale of new diesel cars by five years. Organisations need a clear picture of the direction of policy from the government so they have the confidence to act with the urgency the science demands.

We also need to give people confidence the infrastructure will be in place to support the transition to net zero, for example enough EV charging points. 

One of the biggest barriers is that of certainty or perfection. It's important to recognise that the focus of the UN Race to Zero is now to halve emissions by 2030. This means that we have to treat it as a race and not delay, we need to embrace the change, accept "good" solutions and be willing to go first in adopting new technology and innovation. Businesses don’t have to tackle everything in one go; it’s important to just get going! 

There are a lot of enablers in place too – from the introduction of SECR legislation, to changes in  procurement policy (e.g. PPN 06/20 and 06/21).  The growing awareness and expectation amongst customers and stakeholders is helping drive an increased pace and growing demand for action. 

What type of organisations do you work with?
 
We work with a wide range of businesses; everything from micro/SMEs right through to large public sector organisations. We work across all sectors of business and have built a particularly strong reputation in healthcare, with public sector bodies, and in the construction industry.

Within the North East we’ve worked with Newcastle; Northumbria; and Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear (NTW) NHS Trusts, Newcastle United Football Club, Durham Cathedral, Durham University, Sunderland City Council, Gateshead Council, Construction Excellence NE, Esh Group, RE:GEN, and social landlords Gentoo – to name a few. We’ve also worked with micro/SMEs and the voluntary sector as a partner in the Going Green Together initiative. 

We are passionate about collaborating and building partnerships for low carbon solutions, such as partnering with Northumbria University for course development, leading the Constructing Excellence North East Decarbonising the Construction Sector initiative and working with Investors in the Environment and a range of solution providers to extend our offering where required.

Whilst we have a focus in the North East region, SmartCarbon’s reach also extends nationally and internationally as we work with many large multinationals. 

What’s next for SmartCarbon over the coming years?
 
We’re a dynamic and rapidly growing company so we’ll be continuing to recruit. 

Our work in the public sector is increasing as well, particularly around supply chain engagement. We’ve recently been contracted to develop new e-learning modules with Northumbria University, supported by funding from the North of Tyne Combined Authority’s Green Skills Fund. These will be available free to businesses across the region in the future, so please follow us on social media to find out more.

Our SmartCarbon platform has been in continual evolution since it’s inception in 2013, and our advanced data integration technology that allows data sharing, along with our Net Zero Planning features, are of increasing interest to clients. 

As we expand our client base – in particular our supply chain projects – the ecosystem of our interconnected supplier bases will grow. We are increasingly helping organisations to measure and reduce emissions across the entire value chain. We will focus our efforts on linking emissions from suppliers, clients, investees, tenants and other stakeholders, so that organisations have a more accurate reading of their footprint and can collaborate to achieve their net zero goals.

Ultimately, the climate crisis requires an urgent response, and I believe the business sector is where there is the greatest opportunity to build the required momentum for change.  We are proud to engage with organisations prepared to demonstrate leadership in the race to net zero. 

SmartCarbon is just one of hundreds of organisations helping the North East reach its net zero targets and make a difference on a global scale. Do you have a net zero story to share? Get in touch with us at [email protected]. Join the Net Zero North East England mailing list here.