Small to medium-sized businesses in Cheltenham are being encouraged to sign up for a brand-new and totally free sustainability initiative from Cheltenham Borough Council.
It's offering 300 SMEs operating within the Cheltenham Borough free access to online platform, Zellar, to help them reduce carbon emissions and lower their energy bills.
Delivered through CheltenhamZero and part-funded by SSE's Sustainable Business Communities Project and the United Kingdom Shared Prosperity Funding, the council hopes to help local companies 'kick-start their sustainability journey' and meet its target of making Cheltenham net zero carbon by 2030.
Zellar allows businesses to calculate and understand their carbon emissions, then build an achievable plan to reduce them based on the company's size and sector, with the platform already helping over 1,000 SMEs across the country.
The platform also gives the council and CheltenhamZero consolidated data reports so they can track the town's progress in reducing carbon emissions.
Cheltenham is the seventh regional partner to sign up to Zellar, alongside Greater Birmingham and Solihull LEP; East Midlands Chamber; Leicester and Leicestershire LEP; Greater Lincolnshire LEP and the Business Gateway; Made in Northamptonshire; and Market Harborough District Council.
Member for climate change, Councillor Alisha Lewis, said: 'I’m thrilled that we are the first council in Gloucestershire to offer the Zellar platform and alongside CheltenhamZero are able to make it free of charge to the local business community.
'The platform offers a practical and accessible way to help businesses make real headway in tackling climate change issues whilst also reducing their energy costs and I’d urge organisations to sign up as quickly as possible.'
Founder and CEO of Zellar, Gary Styles, added: ‘We’re excited that Cheltenham Borough Council has chosen Zellar to help it achieve its 2030 net zero commitment. This is a brilliant opportunity for Cheltenham businesses to join a community of over 1,000 UK companies that are reducing their emissions and bringing down their record high energy bills.'
The first 300 Cheltenham Borough-based businesses to join the CheltenhamZero partnership and sign up to Zellar can get one year of free access to the platform.
For more information, or to sign up, visit cheltenhamzero.org/zellar.
