Driving Forward The Net Zero Transition

As we now enter our third year of the Net Zero Accelerator Programme, our MD Rob Sayles, recently attended Net Zero Nation’s Grangemouth cohort meeting, which was hosted by Forth Ports, to provide support and share experience with other members. 

These regular meetings aim to drive the net zero transition throughout the supply chain across the region by promoting practical carbon reduction opportunities.

Rob shared Scott Direct’s recent project to repurpose ten pallets of expired hand sanitiser which had been left over from the Covid crisis. With some smart thinking, and the environmental impact at the core of the idea, the surplus sanitiser was repurposed into a new screen wash product, creating both an additional income stream and preventing it from being wasted and going to landfill. 

During his presentation, Rob encouraged the cohort to look at their stock, their inventory, and their packaging, and seek ways in which to reduce waste which could in turn lower unnecessary costs and emissions.

Rob said: “By working with Net Zero Nation, we’re committed to supporting sustainability, the circular economy, and working in a truly collaborative approach to support the communities in which we work.”

Scott direct are proud to be certified as having provided a validated carbon footprint according to the future Net Zero Standard Accreditation

Jakki Ireland, Senior Procurement Manager at Forth Ports, Scottish Operations, added: “It's great to see not only local suppliers coming together to talk about something so important to us all but to also see our industry talking openly about their journeys and how we can support each other. The event is a great forum for sharing best practices and engaging. I fully support the programme and will continue to strive to get engagement with suppliers locally and beyond.”

Founded in January 2021, Net Zero Nation is a not-for-profit partnership between the Scottish Business Network (SBN) and CBN Expert that encourages and supports SMEs to become net zero for carbon dioxide emissions.

Its pioneering Accelerator Programme has seen almost 100 SMEs become net zero certified to the SECR, PPN 06/21 and science base target reporting standards in 2023.

Gavin Tweedie, Co-founder and CEO at Net Zero Nation, said: “Our ambition is to partner and collaborate with businesses globally to tackle the 50 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions which the world emits annually.

“We aim to present businesses with the commercial opportunities and confidence to implement smarter carbon practices in carbon measurement and carbon removal today so that we still have a world tomorrow."