Your carbon net zero journey

Reducing our carbon consumption to net zero has been set as a government target to achieve by 2050. We are here to support you on your carbon reduction journey and empower you to achieve your stated carbon net zero policy aims.

On Tuesday 20 April 2021 the UK government announced it will set the world’s most ambitious climate change target into law to reduce emissions by 78% by 2035 compared to 1990 levels.

Whether you are just starting or already underway with your carbon net zero journey, we have a number of solutions that can help you with decarbonisation across your procurement portfolio; from the obvious areas such as energy and fleet, through to areas you might not even consider, such as technology hardware and in the future food and catering.

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Funding and grants for carbon net zero

We know funding Carbon Net Zero (CNZ) projects is a big consideration when developing your plans. To support this, we have collated a list of open CNZ grants and funding opportunities from across government into a single place.

We’re working with our customers to understand the biggest carbon net zero challenges and where they are on their decarbonisation journey. We’ve already identified dozens of our agreements that can be used to help with that journey already – from the obvious areas like Fleet and Energy to technology hardware and even, in the future, food.
Simon Tse
Chief Executive Officer, Crown Commercial Service
Simon Tse photo

  • Travel and Transport

    Covering everything from traffic management, low emission vehicles and electric vehicles, vehicle charging infrastructure, supporting sustainable travel for staff and citizens, street lighting and much more. Through this, we can achieve better air quality, mobility solutions, health for citizens and minimise the impact of travel and the way we use transport on the environment for the long term.

    Find out more here

  • Carbon Reduction Plans - Training for suppliers

    Are you a current or potential CCS supplier? Need guidance on producing a Carbon Reduction Plan (CRP)?

    Our Sustainability team runs regular webinars offering guidance on measuring and reporting your organisation’s emissions, and producing and maintaining a compliant CRP.

    Find out more here

Understanding carbon net zero

What is carbon net zero?

 

Sometimes known as net zero carbon or just net zero, this describes a state where any Carbon Dioxide (CO2) or Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions left over after decarbonisation are offset by negative emissions, of CO2, of an equivalent amount from the atmosphere, resulting in no net GHG impact.

What does this mean for the UK?

Carbon net zero means that the UK’s total GHG emissions would be equal to or less than the emissions the UK removed from the environment. This can be achieved by a combination of emission reduction and emission removal.

The carbon net zero target requires total decarbonisation of electricity, transport, buildings, industry, and the public sector, with interim targets and legislation to help us get there.

Why is reaching carbon net zero important?

 

The government has stated that climate change is an existential threat to humanity. Without global action to limit GHG emissions, the climate will change catastrophically with almost unimaginable consequences for societies across the world. 

The public sector is in a unique position of being able to lead the way for the rest of the country. Our activities directly influence the behaviours of the citizens we serve across the UK to deliver real change. 

Carbon is vital for us to live and survive. The world does need Carbon to exist but when there is too much Carbon it causes the environmental issues we have seen around the world. This has been recognised by the United Nations and the Paris Climate agreement for 2050. We understand the long term impact of this increase in Carbon and it underlines our plans on why we need to take action now.

In recognition of the risks to the UK and other countries, the UK became, in 2019, the first major economy to implement a legally binding net zero target

What does the 2050 target mean?

 

The UK has legislated to end its contribution to global warming by 2050, in effect reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 100% against 1990 levels. 

A pathway for the public sector to halve non-traded emissions from buildings (direct heat and power, plus any fugitive emissions from coolants or refrigerants) by 2032 has been outlined in the Clean Growth Strategy.

Key dates for reaching carbon net zero

Lost in terminology

From carbon net zero to decarbonisation and smart solutions, there are a lot of terms that all form part of the same thing.

To help you understand the different terms and what they mean, we have pulled together a handy glossary of terms.

Download our glossary of terms.

You can also download an accessible version of our glossary of terms.

  • Smart solutions

    New ideas and technology are changing how people interact with their environment and help you create interconnected urban living environments. CCS Smart Solutions can help you reduce your energy consumption and achieve your Net Zero targets with reduced pollution levels across communities.

    Find out more.

  • Sustainability

    As well as helping you reach your carbon net zero objectives, our commercial agreements can also help you avoid damage to the environment, whilst also generating benefits for your organisation, society and the economy such as reducing the use of single use plastics and other forms of landfill waste.

    Find out more.

CNZ articles

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Upcoming events

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Webinars (9 )

  1. carbon net zero

    Carbon net zero: episode 1: the environment, sustainability and reaching carbon net zero

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  2. Electric bus charging with carbon net zero logo overlaid

    Carbon net zero: episode 2: transport decarbonisation

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  3. Carbon net zero: episode 3: how transport and travel strategies can help you reach carbon net zero targets

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  4. carbon net zero

    CNZ: episode 4: how your ICT hosting choices can reduce your carbon footprint by up to 99%

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  5. Reaching carbon net zero roundtable

    Explore key elements of the carbon net zero journey, what steps you can take and how to break down your requirements into more achievable chunks.

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  6. Green world with plug in it

    CCS - A helping hand towards Carbon Net Zero within Energy

    Find out more about how CCS can help you on your Carbon Net Zero journey within Energy

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  7. Electric car being charged

    Introduction to Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Solutions Webinar

    This webinar will provide an introduction and overview of the new CCS Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Solutions (VCIS) Dynamic Purchase System (DPS).

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  8. Your Carbon Net Zero journey...let CCS help you towards a greener future

    In 2019 the UK became the first major economy to pass laws to end its contribution to global warming by 2050. Watch our webinar to find out how CCS can help you on this journey.

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  9. A slide with the words 'Talking Carbon Net Zero with the CCS Print category team'

    Talking Carbon Net Zero with the CCS Print category team

    This webinar helps customers to learn more about CO2 emissions in the print industry and understand what CCS suppliers are doing in this space.

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You can also contact us by email or phone

Email: info@crowncommercial.gov.uk
Telephone: 0345 410 2222

CCS customer services team is available Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.