Credit: Engin Akyurt/Pixabay

Scotland’s national economic development agency has created a tool to support businesses develop their net zero strategies.  

The online platform, launched Scottish Enterprise, will provide firms with recommended improvements a range of areas. The goal is help companies adapt and work towards developing a net zero road map that is “practical, data-led and people-focused”.    

Companies using the service can analyse their operation's current environmental impact, helping them set net zero targets while identifying chances to innovate. The tool also considers leadership and staff engagement on climate change, incorporating staff into their plan.  

Data from the Office for National Statistics reveals that only 23% of firms with over 250 employees have a climate change strategy, while the British Business Bank estimates that just 9% of SMEs in the UK measure their carbon footprint.  

Related content

• Net zero: Government warned over data inconsistencies
• Net-zero policy project aims to model potential tech and societal changes
• How sustainable is the world and how can we know?

But, according to the University of Stratchclyde’s Fraser of Allander Institute, Scottish businesses outrank the rest of the UK when it comes to having either committed to or achieved net zero targets, at 59% compared to 57%.  

Scottish Enterprise, which operates as a non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government, said the feedback they got from businesses suggests that they are opting to become greener because of demand from consumers.  

Ian Carstairs, sustainability team leader at Scottish Enterprise, claimed that projects delivered by the agency in the 2021/22 year had supported the creation of 3,250 green jobs and enabled a collective reduction of almost 300,000 tonnes of CO2.

He added: “The free tool... will help more companies accelerate their journey to net zero as Scotland has huge potential in this area and we are fully committed to grasping the net zero opportunities that will deliver a just and fair economic transformation.”