BEIS, West of England Combined Authority, University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) and Planet Mark unite to offer net zero solutions to Bristol’s businesses

Bristol’s businesses will be offered carbon reduction workshops and practical net zero advice on 10 September 2021.

The workshops will be provided by Planet Mark – a leading sustainability and net zero certification group that usually works with companies like Centrica and Charles Trywhitt – and forms part of the UN-backed Race to Zero and Together for Our Planet campaigns.

In the UK, the Race to Zero effort is being coordinated by Kwasi Kwarteng’s Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) department working with Local Authorities, Planet Mark, the Institute of Directors, and others. It is the Government’s flagship campaign to raise awareness among the business community about the urgent need for firms to cut their carbon emissions.

The Tour stop on 10 September is part of the Planet Mark’s Zero Carbon Tour, which will see Planet Mark’s fully electric powered carbon battle bus visit 30 towns and cities across the UK. The Tour began in Cambridge and will finish in Glasgow for COP26.

August’s hard hitting IPCC report showed just how dire the climate crisis really is. The study said: “it is unequivocal that human influence has warmed the atmosphere, oceans and land.” Businesses and organisations in Bristol, and across the UK, must therefore be encouraged to take action now to reduce their carbon emissions and help create a healthier planet and society.

On 10 September Planet Mark’s team will demonstrate to Bristol businesses how they can set their own credible carbon reduction targets and implement plans to achieve them in line with the Race to Zero’s rigorous minimum criteria. The event will empower local firms and their employees to become part of a greater national effort to protect our environment by demystifying what is needed to achieve net zero. It will also highlight the good work many companies are already doing to address their carbon output.

Steve Malkin, founder and CEO of Planet Mark, says:

“We are delighted to be collaborating with the West of England Combined Authority and University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) on this Zero Carbon Tour flagship event as part of the Together For Our Planet campaign in the build up to COP26. We look forward to gathering in-person and online with the Bristol community to talk about how all businesses and organisations, no matter their size, can contribute to the fight against climate change by committing to net zero carbon. Through the critical Race to Zero we can all play a part in our planet’s future”.

West of England Mayor Dan Norris, says:

“The climate emergency is humanity’s most urgent crisis, and across the West of England we all need to play a part in beating it.

“I look forward to officially welcoming the Zero Carbon Tour as it rolls into the West of England, and to seeing how it supports the enthusiasm and commitment of everyone locally to meet our ambitious goal of net zero carbon by 2030.

“I hear there will be carbon clinics followed later by free Net Zero Essentials workshops giving proven and practical tips and explaining what support is on offer on how best to go about it. The climate and biodiversity emergency is urgent - I'm determined to make sure our region is doing its bit to tackle it.”

Race to Zero is the UN-backed, global campaign to rally leadership and support from all non-state actors for a healthy, resilient, zero carbon recovery. All members are credibly committed to the same overarching goal: halving global emissions by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions as soon as possible, and by 2050 at the very latest. Planet Mark is one of the campaign’s 11 formal partners for businesses.

Businesses can sign up to the event on 10 September 2021 through Eventbrite.