A new initiative dedicated to decarbonising Black Country businesses to become carbon neutral has been launched.

Based at Wolverhampton Science Park, Turning the Black Country Green assists Black Country businesses in measuring and reducing their carbon footprint, certifying them Carbon Neutral PAS2060 and assisting them to define their road path to Net Zero by 2030, twenty years ahead of the UK back stop.

In June the government announced that as of September 2021 any supplier looking to tender for any contract worth more than £5m annually from the £290bn public sector opportunities, will have to demonstrate a published Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP) and a commitment to Net Zero or they will automatically be excluded.

Director Dom Napier explained his thinking behind the initiative: “While we are all aware of the global climate crisis, few businesses know to what extent their activities contribute to the problem and how they can reduce their impact.

“Turning the Black Country Green believes that action on the climate crisis is critical to the success of a business and that companies taking action now will reap the rewards of increased revenue, reduced costs, engaging stakeholders and reduced risks.

“The Black Country was at the heart of the UK’s industrial revolution in the mid 19th century and we want it to drive the UK’s second industrial revolution, the green revolution. We want to help local organizations to enhance their corporate social responsibility and demonstrate to customers their commitment to the environment and be ahead of their legal commitment in achieving Net Zero.”

Turning the Black Country Green believes that due to the challenges and complexities of calculating their carbon footprint most businesses have not even considered the process. The aim of the initiative is to take the pain and complexity out of measuring a carbon footprint.

To do so, Turning the Black Country Green measures the organisational GHG (Greenhouse gas) emissions across all three scopes – identifying reduction opportunities and offsetting the remaining emissions through certified Carbon Offset programmes, and certifying them Carbon Neutral to PAS2060.

In addition, it will plant one tree for every ten tonnes of offsets purchased in schools or community gardens in the region.

After assisting companies to achieve PAS2060 Carbon Neutral certification, Turning the Black Country Green continues to work with them year on year to demonstrate annual reductions until they reach Net Zero, an 80 per cent reduction in historic emissions.

To find out more about Turn the Black Country Green or to register to become a member visit https://www.turningtheblackcountrygreen.com/.

To learn about other ways your Sandwell business can do more to protect the environment visit our Going greener page. There you’ll find resources to help businesses play their part in conserving energy, reducing carbon use and carbon dioxide emissions, and helping to prevent human-made climate change.