A UK Government drive to encourage small firms to go green has ushered in a competition offering them a chance to win support worth £4,500.
The Heroes of Net Zero initiative is part of the Together for Our Planet campaign launched in June.
There is also a new UK Business Climate Hub, where businesses can get advice and support and make a commitment to become net-zero.
Competition winners will lead the way by sharing creative examples of actions every UK business can take to help us build back greener.”
Andrew Griffith MP, the UK Government’s net-zero business champion.
The competition celebrates small businesses that have found creative ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Partners include BT, NatWest and SSE Energy Solutions.
Open to UK businesses with fewer than 50 employees, there is one category for those with one to nine staff and another for firms with more than 10 people employed.
The best entries will be invited to attend the COP26 international climate change summit in Glasgow on November 2, where the winners will be announced and receive their prizes, which will include 21 hours of consultancy with an energy manager.
Winners will also get a year’s free access to SSE’s Business Energy Intelligence energy management platform, worth £3,500 alone.
In addition, they will receive six hours of bespoke mentoring with an enterprise manager from NatWest’s Climate Accelerator programme.
Finally, they will get up to £1,000 in vouchers to access a new digital advertising support package from BT.
To take part in the competition, businesses must make a commitment to achieve net-zero by 2050.
‘Exclusive opportunity’
The Together for Our Planet campaign is run by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
UK net-zero business champion Andrew Griffith MP said: “The Heroes of Net Zero competition gives UK businesses of all sizes an exclusive opportunity to showcase how they are reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the run-up to COP26.
“Competition winners will lead the way by sharing creative examples of actions every UK business can take to help us build back greener.”
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