Skip to content
Book your energy assessment
Home Articles Over half of SME’s confused by ‘carbon jargon’, says new report

ARTICLE

Over half of SME’s confused by ‘carbon jargon’, says new report

The majority of smaller businesses in the UK don’t understand how common environmental terms such as ‘net zero’, ‘carbon neutral’ and ‘carbon footprint’ apply to their businesses, according to new research commissioned by the British Business Bank.

The Opinium survey of 1,000 senior decision-makers in smaller businesses found more than half (54%) believe the language, terminology and information around carbon emissions reduction are too complex.

Almost three in four (74%) smaller businesses say they don’t understand how the term ‘net zero’ applies to them.

Over three in five (61%) say they would find more information and advice about taking action to measure and reduce their business’ carbon emissions helpful, with over half (53%) of those wanting advice on measuring their business’ carbon footprint and a similar proportion (51%) wanting information to help work out if reducing carbon emissions makes financial sense for their business.

61%

Said they would find more information and advice about taking action to measure and reduce their business’ carbon emissions helpful.

‘Carbon jargon’ terms misunderstood by businesses include:

  1. Greenhouse gas emissions: 87% of businesses did not have a full understanding of the term and what it meant for their business
  2. Decarbonisation: 78%
  3. Net zero: 74%
  4. Carbon neutral: 69%
  5. Carbon footprint: 59%

“Smaller businesses are far too often put off by the overcomplex ‘carbon jargon’ that comes with reducing emissions. By helping decipher some of the terminology around decarbonisation the British Business Bank hopes to show smaller businesses that simple, incremental changes, such as switching off equipment when not in use can make a difference in their net zero transition.

Shanika Amarasekara, Chief Impact Officer, British Business Bank
Read more

You might also like…

Energy Efficiency Quick Tips for GP Practices

Understanding your heating controls  Heating controls are essential for achieving energy efficiency in buildings. By understanding how these controls work, you can avoid wasting energy in unoccupied spaces or having competing heating and cooling running at the same time.  Manuals for heating controls can be found on a manufacturer’s website. Ensure staff know which of…
Read now

Grant funding available

article Grant funding available for businesses in South and Vale Deadline: 7 October 2024 South and Vale District Councils have grant funding available through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to help support businesses decarbonise and grow the local economy. Organisations based in South Oxfordshire or Vale of White Horse can apply for a grant of…
Read now

Get a fully-funded energy assessment

We’re sharing news about a fantastic opportunity for Oxfordshire organisations. The Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) Energy Efficiency Scheme, funded by UK government, is providing building energy assessments to organisations with charitable, benevolent, or philanthropic purposes who are running frontline services. 
Read now
Home Articles Over half of SME’s confused by ‘carbon jargon’, says new report