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Industry insights
News, guides and insights on carbon management and sustainability.
NCZ Guide
Verified vs certified carbon footprint: what's the difference?
Verification is an independent check that a reported emissions figure was calculated correctly, while certification confirms a defined standard or award level has been met. The article explains that NCZ's free estimate is an unverified browser-side baseline, and that verification and certification happen together within the Blue-to-Platinum programme.
Industry Insights
The Green Claims Code: What UK Businesses Can and Cannot Say
Explains the CMA's Green Claims Code and its six principles: truthful, clear, not omitting information, fair comparisons, full life cycle and substantiated. It identifies claims that get businesses into trouble, such as unqualified net zero and recycled-content statements, and gives practical compliance steps stressing verified data.
Sustainability Spotlight July 2026
July 2026 newsletter on Scope 3, arguing supply-chain emissions are most organisations' largest, least-visible driver and increasingly demanded by regulators and procurement. It covers the commercial upside of mapping Scope 3, the Kingdom Services Group Platinum case study, and an Emission: Possible episode with Redditch United FC's David Faulkner.
Industry Insights
How to Build a Net Zero Culture from the Inside Out
Argues net zero targets fail without culture, which is set by leadership behaviour rather than communications. It recommends embedding sustainability into decision-making by making emissions visible, adding it to approval frameworks, setting team-level goals, rewarding contributions, investing in education, involving people, and measuring and sharing results.
Industry Insights
Part 5 of 5: Offsets, Certification, and Staying on Track
Final part of the five-part SME series, covering offsets (reduce first), avoidance versus removal credits, what makes a credit high-quality (additionality, permanence, verification, registry, recognised standards), when SMEs should start offsetting, and why independent certification makes claims defensible. It ends with an action checklist for staying on track.
Industry Insights
Part 4 of 5: Reporting Your Progress and Winning More Business
Part of the SME series on why reporting matters, given tightening supply-chain and procurement requirements, investors and customers. It details what a credible report and PPN 006 Carbon Reduction Plan should include, the Green Claims Code, and how verified credentials win tenders and business, closing with an action checklist.
Industry Insights
Part 3 of 5: Practical Ways to Reduce Your Emissions
An SME guide to reducing emissions by impact across energy (renewable tariffs, audits, LED, heating, onsite renewables), business travel (a travel hierarchy, rail over air, EV fleet, commuting), procurement and supply chain, waste, and team engagement, with prioritisation advice and an action checklist.
Industry Insights
Part 2 of 5: Setting Targets That Actually Mean Something
An SME guide to credible targets: the net zero versus carbon neutral distinction, what makes a target credible (measured footprint, all scopes, timeline, reduction separated from offsets, public commitment), whether science-based targets apply to SMEs (around 50% by 2030, net zero by 2050), interim milestones and the role of offsets.
Sustainability Spotlight June 2026
World Environment Day newsletter framing climate action as commercial and stressing the gap between businesses that pledge and those that can evidence progress. It features the Think FM Gold-to-Platinum story, extreme-weather signals, five steps to turn commitment into proof, and industry events.
Industry Insights
Part 1 of 5: Understanding Your Carbon Footprint
SME series opener explaining carbon footprints in tCO2e and the three scopes, what activity data to collect (energy, travel, vehicles, purchased goods, waste, water), how emissions factors work, common early mistakes, and the commercial case for measuring now, closing with an action checklist.
Sustainability Spotlight May 2026
May 2026 newsletter on renewable energy amid global uncertainty, framing renewables as a resilience strategy. It reports 2025 as the year solar, wind and hydro outgenerated coal for the first time in a century, with a record 692 GW added. It covers Alan Stenson at the Workplace Event, practical renewable steps and events.
Industry Insights
Sustainability Spotlight April 2026
April 2026 newsletter on the hidden energy in disposable batteries, whose production far exceeds their output, while rechargeables spread embodied energy across many cycles. It announces NCZ's new branding and redesigned portal, features the Insightful Environments story, and gives a rising-energy-demand fact, home energy tips and events.