Planning for net zero has 'slipped down list of priorities' for businesses, says BCC

20 Feb 2023

The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has stated that the cost-of-living crisis has pushed planning for net zero down the list of 'strategic priorities' for many businesses.

A BCC survey of more than 1,000 businesses revealed that fewer than one in ten small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) fully understand what the government's net zero target means for them.

The survey also found that there is a significant divide in regard to progress on reducing carbon footprints between small businesses and larger firms, who have access to more resources.

'If the UK is to stand a chance of hitting its 2050 net zero target, then businesses must be put at the heart of the strategy to do that,' said Shevaun Haviland, Director General of the BCC.

'They will provide one of the biggest dents in CO2 emissions by making the transition.

'Yet there is a real danger that smaller businesses will get left behind unless politicians, banks and business leaders come together to galvanise action.

'Many chambers are working with their members to help them develop their plans to become carbon neutral.'