Our Breakthrough team aims to:
- Collaborate with external partners and colleagues to create novel, compelling solutions.
- Seek out new perspectives that extend our understanding and challenge existing ideas, by applying systems thinking, design thinking, and open innovation approaches.
- Try things out to learn and make progress quickly.
- Take calculated risks on new opportunities, even if they are unlike what we’ve done before.
Project examples
Decarbonising the Use-phase of Connected Devices
We formed a secretariat with global tech companies Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, Samsung Electronics, and Sky to tackle the emissions associated with the use of internet-connected devices. These devices, such as phones, laptops and speakers globally consume as much electricity as the total annual consumption of France (500TWh of energy in 2020).
Learn more about Decarbonising the Use Phase of Connected Devices
Route to Net Zero Standard
The Carbon Trust’s Route to Net Zero Standard is the only certification to recognise organisations’ progress to Net Zero. It helps them measure and manage their emissions, inform carbon reduction strategies, align targets for the future, and certify and communicate progress. The Breakthrough Team collaborated with other Carbon Trust teams on the development of this standard, in particular the digital platform underpinning it.
Learn more about the Route to Net Zero Standard
Low Carbon Workplace
One of our successes is the Low Carbon Workplace concept, where we teamed up with Columbia Threadneedle and Stanhope to create a property fund delivering super-efficient, carbon neutral, and profitable office investments in the UK. Building on our success in offices, the fund is now extending its ambition to drive the Net Zero transformation of wider UK commercial real estate.
Learn more about Low Carbon Workplace
Design Sprint Camp
The Breakthrough team partnered with Design Thinkers Academy London on an online Bootcamp for responsible innovators and change agents. Participants learned to apply design thinking to a specific climate challenge. This was an opportunity to develop breakthrough ideas, relevant skills, and explore ways to apply open innovation to targeted climate challenges.
Learn more about the Design Sprint Camp – The Climate Challenge
Work with us
If you are a company, public organisation, or not-for-profit looking to address an industry-wide decarbonisation challenge, please get in touch.
