Cheltenham Borough Council declared a “climate emergency” in 2019 and established Cheltenham Zero to help local businesses commit to and take action towards achieving net zero emissions in the town by 2030.
Despite political headwinds, worries about the economic impact and a lot of misinformation, the overwhelming consensus is that carbon reduction remains an absolute imperative to prevent or even mitigate significant long-term damage to the planet and its people.
Many countries and organisations remain committed and are making progress. The technology is improving all the time and concerted individual actions can make a real difference. As a potential “UK Capital of Security Technology,” including energy, Cheltenham should be a leading light on this.
We recently met Isobel Filipova, Business Initiative Manager at Cheltenham Zero to talk about her role and how the initiative will develop in the coming months and years. (Fittingly, it was on one of the hottest days of the year!)
Isobel started out as a shoemaker, before retraining and gaining a degree in product design with a focus on sustainability. She then worked in the medical device industry, before setting up her own sustainability consultancy focused on that sector, finally joining the Council to lead on Cheltenham Zero.
Business Development, Not Box Ticking
It was this experience that shaped her commitment that sustainability initiatives such as net zero, cannot simply be “tick box” exercises or ESG “add-ons.” They should be baked-in to strategy and seen as an opportunity to reduce costs, improve efficiency, attract talent, deliver competitive advantage and help future-proof businesses.
“We need to shift the narrative from greenwashing and just carbon counting to genuine resilience and future proofing” says Isobel.
Businesses may feel adopting net zero will add cost, take too much time and add little value. It can seem hard to understand, and thus easy to put off. So now, Cheltenham Zero aims to move from a “community club” approach to become a more structured business strategy tool, with clearer measurement, planning, funding and support in taking action.
You can see some great examples of this can work in practice here >>
More Grants and Support for Businesses
Incentives and help for businesses to take step-by-step action, including grants for specific projects and free software licences to calculate the baseline and measure progress are already in place.
Future plans include new training modules and videos to make knowledge more accessible and actions easier. And there will be more partnership and event initiatives with organisations like BID and Marketing Cheltenham. Together Gloucestershire, an initiative which aims to help more local
firms benefit from large private and public sector tenders is a natural fit, because demonstrating a positive approach to carbon footprint is essential to compete for these contracts.
Cheltenham Zero will also lobby for large local projects to provide tangible proof of sustainability and work with business landlords to make it easier for tenants to install carbon reduction measures.
A New Membership Framework
To encourage action and help businesses be recognised for their actions, a new membership framework is being developed. The details are being finalised, but membership will start with a basic “green badge,” requiring members to conduct a baseline measure within 6 months. From there, they progress through higher levels by creating action plans, reporting annually, and achieving measurable reductions. The badges will be a great way to demonstrate commitment to net zero carbon – although higher level awards can go down as well as up!
What Next?
The Chamber would encourage Members and businesses who have not already signed up to Cheltenham Zero to join the many local organisations who have already started their Net Zero journeys. And then to take advantage of all the resources on offer to help them on their way.
And maybe, rather than think of it as yet another thing on a “to do list,” embrace it as a real opportunity – a kind of fitness regime for the business.
