Climate action and Net Zero transition planning

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Climate action and Net Zero transition planning

With growing pledges on climate action, we support corporate clients, public sector organisations, financial services, cities and regions to put ambitious and achievable carbon reduction plans in place, set evidence-based targets and transition to Net Zero.

Overview   

Net Zero is a global imperative. To reach Net Zero and limit global warming, governments, public sector bodies, businesses, financial services, regions and cities must focus on delivering ambitious Net Zero transition plans. We can help you move forward confidently with delivering on those goals – and support you to drive tangible results.  

How we can help  

Businesses

We work with businesses through each step of their Net Zero journey. This includes developing insight from measurement and analysis; setting strategy to achieve your ambition and address key risks and opportunities; enable your transition to Net Zero; and support effective delivery and communication of your impact.  

 

 

 

 

Our approach and services  

 

Insight  

Our expertise and analytical approach will help you understand and measure carbon impacts and drivers, assess key risks and opportunities, and support ambition-setting decisions.  

Impacts and drivers

  • Operational Scope 1 and 2. GHG inventory development, baselining and diagnostic of key sources and drivers, to inform reduction measures.    
  • Value chain Scope 3. GHG inventory and baseline development across all categories of emissions, with a prioritised approach to data and granularity of analysis. This includes footprinting of financed emissions (category 15) for Financial Institutions.  
  • Avoided emissions. Developing and applying cutting-edge methodologies to provide robust quantification of avoided emissions.  
  • Product lifecycle assessment. Product carbon footprinting to assess reduction opportunities and communicating to customers. 

Risks and opportunities

  • Scenario development and materiality assessment. Assessing and prioritising climate-related risks and opportunities. 
  • Risk and opportunity assessment for strategy and disclosure. Quantifying climate-related risks and opportunities to inform strategic decisions and business case for change, as well as to meet disclosure requirements. 

Ambition

  • Board and c-suite engagement. Strategic dialogue and engagement with senior stakeholders to define your organisations’ sustainability ambition and vision. 
  • Net Zero readiness assessment. Assessing the status of your organisation against best practice to set you on your Net Zero journey.  

 

Strategy 

We work with companies to develop strategies and plans addressing the risks, opportunities, and obligations of a Net Zero transition. This includes defining prioritised carbon reduction pathways for your own operations as well as value chain, and assessing actions that you can take within your business model and wider system. Our approach is aligned with the requirements and guidance of the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and Taskforce for Climate-related Financial Disclosure (TCFD), as well as other disclosure standards and bodies. 

Organisation and supply chain

Business model

  • Business model innovation. Developing innovative business model options and assessing carbon reduction potential alongside commercial impact. 
  • Product innovation. Assessing the carbon and sustainability impact of product design choices. 
  • Avoided emissions strategy. Using the avoided emissions lens to inform product portfolio decisions and commercial opportunities.  

Systems

  • Beyond Value Chain Mitigation and neutralisation. Defining and evaluating Beyond Value Chain Mitigation (BVCM) and neutralisation options and strategies. 

 

Transition 

We support companies put strategies into action to accelerate their Net Zero transition journey. We can help you develop transition plans and roadmaps to engage leadership and mobilise action across your business. Our sustainable finance expertise will help you assess and access options to finance the investment needed to deliver decarbonisation as well as climate-aligned commercial opportunities. The Net Zero transition requires actions across industry and value chains, and our collaboration models and convening capabilities support organisations drive change more widely.  

Transition planning and execution

  • Transition plans and roadmaps. Developing plans and roadmaps enabling leadership and management to implement key actions and requirements needed to deliver the organisation’s targets and strategy. 
  • Operationalisation and change management. Accelerating implementation by embedding best practice and change within your organisation’s business units and functions. 
  • Digital enablement. Supporting robust approaches to carbon emissions data sourcing and management for your operations and value chain, including advice on software solutions. 

Green financing

Helping the financial sector identify, measure, understand and manage climate risks and opportunities, accelerating the green transition through implementation and action.

  • Footprinting: Advising on options to finance the investment needed to drive your transition, including green and sustainability-linked bonds and loans. 
  • TCFD:Providing robust approaches for companies, banks, and asset owners/managers to assess the impact from green investment. 
  • Target-setting: Assessing alignment with green taxonomies to access green investment and meet disclosure requirements.  
  • Roadmaps and strategies: Develop strategies to support you on your decarbonisation and transition journeys, and help you deliver your targets.

Partnerships and programmes

  • Supply chain collaboration. Setting up procurement and supplier engagement approaches to decarbonise your value chain.  
  • Joint industry programmes. Piloting and scaling solutions by running multi-stakeholder collaboration programmes and partnerships. 

 

Impact 

We help companies generate and communicate impact, while ensuring alignment with international reporting and disclosure requirements. Our assurance services enable you to credibly communicate your organisation’s sustainability performance to customers, stakeholders and investors. 

Disclosure

  • Readiness assessment and gap analysis. Assessing the status of your corporate disclosure against voluntary and regulatory requirements (including TCFD, CSRD and other national and international frameworks). 
  • Support for aligning to disclosure requirements. Advising on key actions and improvements to close disclosure gaps and align with requirements and best practice. 

Assurance

  • GHG footprint verification. Providing independent assurance of your Scope 1, 2 and 3 GHG footprints for external reporting. 
  • Product label. Verifying and communicating to customers the carbon performance of your products and services. 
  • Route to Net Zero Standard. A certification of your organisation’s journey towards Net Zero and climate leadership. 
  • Impact reporting (bonds and loans). Assessment and reporting to communicate the impact of green bonds and loans. 

Engagement

  • Stakeholder engagement. Supporting strategic communication and dialogue with key stakeholders, including through our Net Zero Intelligence Unit.  

Why the Carbon Trust?

Our sector experts have already helped over 3,000 organisations across 70 countries accelerate their climate action, including local councils, retail and construction. As a member of the Technical Advisory Group for the Science Based Targets initiative, we understand how to align carbon reduction efforts in line with climate science to limit global warming. 

Explore how our work drives impact for our clients

Discover more about climate action and Net Zero transition planning

Get in touch and find out how we can help you deliver carbon reduction strategies and action plans for your city, region, organisation or business.

Get in touch