When Gloucestershire declared a climate emergency in May 2019, it made a commitment to achieve net zero carbon by 2030 and become a carbon neutral county by 2050.
With local businesses required to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2030 too, plenty of organisations are on hand to offer help, guidance, advice and funding to help them achieve just that — with SoGlos sharing nine in this hot list.
Severn Wye Energy Agency
According to Severn Wye Energy Agency, the business sector is responsible for around a fifth of the UK's total greenhouse gas emissions. To help tackle this, the sustainability charity launched its Target 2030 scheme - a pot of £300,000 available to businesses to help them cut their carbon footprints and funding up to 30 per cent of the cost of installing improvements up to £60,000.
The agency has already helped businesses access over £1 million in grant funding and save more than 2,000 tonnes of carbon every year. It can also act as an energy broker using its Wye Switch service, to ensure businesses get the best energy deals and buy responsibly.
The Bike Drop
For businesses offering deliveries, The Bike Drop offers a cycling courier service in Stroud. With a vision to reduce carbon emissions and form healthier communities, the delivery network started during the Coronavirus lockdowns and has continued since.
Delivering hundreds of items every month for local businesses, its fleet of electric bikes offers an eco-friendly alternative to motor vehicle delivery, cutting costs and carbon footprints.
Optimising IT
Optimising IT’s award-winning IT support experts provide Gloucestershire’s leading businesses with a full range of services with climate conscious IT at the forefront.
According to Optimising IT, the average person in the UK contributes over 9,000 kilograms of carbon per year. It offers businesses a free, no-obligation IT review to form a strategy to make a lasting impact using eco-friendly tech.
Fleet Electric
Firmly at the wheel of carbon negative transport for business, Gloucestershire-based, market leader Fleet Electric supplies electric cars and vans to small and medium enterprises. The electric vehicle specialist plants 100 trees for every vehicle leased and offsets more carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases than are generated in the production and lifecycle of every motor it lets.
Fleet Electric also offers a salary sacrifice scheme to empower businesses to help their employees go electric too. The scheme allows staff to lease a discounted, brand-new, fully maintained and insured electric vehicle in exchange for part of their salary.
Cleevely Motors
For carbon conscious drivers with a preference for prestige marques, Cleevely Motors supply a range of executive electric vehicles, including Tesla, to help make the switch to zero emissions in style.
The family-run independent garage offers a unique Tesla rental service that is perfect for business trips, helping customers avoid high fuel prices with the ability to charge for free using the Tesla charging network. It also means they can travel into London without having to pay any congestion charges.
Ecotricity
Committed to delivering 100 per cent green electricity, 'made from the sun, the wind and the sea,' Stroud-based Ecotricity is on a mission to help power businesses towards a net zero target.
Small business customers can get 'green electricity and gas on the same simple and fair tariff' with tailored support from its team of account managers, while Ecotricity’s business team provides a range of services to help businesses operate more efficiently and cut carbon emissions even further – from smart meter technology to harnessing solar power to generate your own energy – as well as using its own income to build new forms of green energy too.
Printwaste
With 37 years' experience in business recycling; confidential data destruction and compliance; and waste management, Printwaste uses its expert skills to repurpose, reuse, recover and recycle waste materials back into useable resources.
Based in Cheltenham, the recycling firm employs its ‘right waste, right place’ ethos, focusing on eliminating the need for landfill, maximising recycling at source, and perfecting waste management practices. Anything that really cannot be reused, repurposed, or recycled then enters the waste-to-energy stream, creating a renewable source of energy to power the grid.
Mypower Solar Professionals
Serving the commercial, industrial and agricultural industries, Mypower Solar Professionals provide solar panels to businesses and support clients throughout the entire process from design to installation. It's also the company behind turning Gloucester Cathedral green.
Its award-winning solar panels can help businesses secure their energy source for the future and reduce their electricity bills, all while benefitting the environment.
Protrack Solutions
For monitoring vehicle performance and fuel consumption, Protrack Solutions offers unique tracking software for businesses to help them monitor their emissions.
This multi-awarding winning organisation runs from the heart of Gloucester and can help businesses prolong the lives of their vehicles by analysing employee driving habits and enabling them to minimise wear and tear, ensuring their fleets are working in the most energy efficient way possible.
