The results of the UK Net Zero Business Census include interviews from 2,005 organisations of all sizes and sectors. The resulting report has been released by UK Business Climate Hub in partnership with Planet Mark and a coalition of 50+ of the largest business associations, banks and corporates, including CBI, Make UK, Institute of Directors and the British Chambers of Commerce. We would like to thank all our members who took the time to complete the survey and here we share the key findings as well as a brief overview of our approach to help move net zero forward. 

The results explore the current priorities, plans, barriers, opportunities and actions to decarbonise being used by organisations on their journey to net zero. 

With 73% of respondents reporting that net zero is a strategic priority in the next 12 months, the census provides recommendations for policymakers, organisations, industry bodies and researchers to help propel the UK economy towards its legal requirement of reaching net zero by 2050. To support this commitment, 67% of respondents had set targets to reach net zero by 2050, with 44% aiming to achieve net zero within the next decade, before 2035.  

Despite this, organisations report significant barriers hindering progress, including high costs (59%), limited access to finance (52%), time constraints (52%), outdated infrastructure (53%), regulatory uncertainty (50%) and lack of trusted information sources (46%).  

To overcome these barriers, 92% of organisations said improved government support would be beneficial. By establishing clear, long-term regulatory timelines, government can provide stability and confidence for investment in net zero initiatives, further helping to address many organisations’ policy uncertainties. This support is particularly needed by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), who are being indirectly affected by carbon disclosure regulations cascading down to impact them via supply chains, with 37% of SMEs having been asked for carbon data by a customer, compared to 55% of large organisations.  

The UK Net Zero Business Census Report is available for free download, along with a free recorded webinar at: https://netzerocensus.co.uk 

ACE and EIC have actively campaigned for net zero to be at the heart of infrastructure policy for some time and we have a rich library of helpful resources in our policy pages on the EIC and ACE websites. Our Plan for Government aligns with the call to action of policy certainty, skills investment and training and a strategy review to look at costs and action needed. However, we believe that net zero is just part of the solution and to achieve real benefit the restoration of nature and natural resources is central to a thriving UK economy. Our Nature and Biodiversity Guide is designed to help project teams and developers to deliver on their commitments to nature gains and our social value match-making service offers SMEs the chance to gain knowledge from experts. 

We also believe that a siloed approach is not working and that bringing together experts from across our whole group membership as well as government, supply chain and related stakeholders for our One Crisis: One Approach Seminar on 17th September is critical to addressing the crises of: climate change, nature and biodiversity loss and pollution. Read our One Crisis Report to find out more. 

If you would like to be involved in our environmental policy groups, please contact the policy team at policy@acenet.co.uk .