Achieving Net Zero is one of the most complex targets ever set by the Government, but it’s also one of the most important ones. Where global warming has fast become a reality, there’s still a chance to limit it.
According to the latest climate science, emissions must drop by nearly half by 2030, a target that is a mere five years away. For this goal to be attainable, business owners must aim for net-zero carbon emissions.
Keep reading to find out what net zero is and how to take tangible steps to achieve it.
What Does Net Zero Mean?
Net zero is achieved when all emissions caused by human activities are counterbalanced by removing carbon from the atmosphere, known as carbon removal.
This is done by carrying out a two-fold approach:
- Emissions caused by humans (such as fossil-fueled vehicles and factories) need to be reduced as close to zero as possible.
- Remaining emissions must be balanced with the equivalent amount of carbon removal (this can be done through forest restoration or direct air capture and storage)
When Must Net Zero Be Achieved?
Limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius relies on CO2 emissions reaching net zero between 2050 and 2060. The closer to 2050 this is achieved, the less risk of temporarily overshooting the 1.5 degrees Celsius target. Reaching net zero nearer to 2060 or later cements the reality of surpassing the goal, which may mean that global temperatures will reach an unsafe limit for an amount of time before carbon removal can reduce it.
How To Achieve Net Zero
The National Federation of Builders (NFB) has developed the following five simple steps to support organisations in making steps towards achieving net zero.
Step 1: Understand Your Carbon Footprint
The very first step is to understand your actual carbon footprint. You can do this by looking at the data that you already have readily available. By reviewing your current position, you can start to benchmark and monitor success in the future.
Classification Of Emissions
Emissions are often classified into “scopes,” which can be defined as:
| Scope | Definition | Examples |
| Scope 1 | Direct emissions from sources owned or controlled by your organisation. | Fuel combustion from boilers, furnaces, and company vehicles. |
| Scope 2 | Indirect emissions from the generation of purchased energy. | Electricity, heating, steam, or cooling used in your offices. |
| Scope 3 | Indirect emissions not owned or directly controlled but related to your operations. | Staff commuting, business travel, remote work energy use, and supplier emissions. |
The easiest way to monitor these areas is to use a data system or platform that collates, measures and tracks the carbon emissions across your business. The Carbon Accounting Software Platform, offered by the NFB, gathers scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions data and presents it in a highly visual dashboard, giving you simple, digestible information at the press of a button.
Related Reading: How To Calculate Your Business Carbon Footprint
Step 2: Create Your Plan
Once you’ve completed step one, you’ll have a better understanding of your data. This will make it easier to identify where you can have the biggest impact on reducing your carbon emissions.
Here are some top tips to bear in mind when creating your net-zero plan:
1. Identify Stand-Out Areas
You will likely see some stand-out areas where you can make a change more easily and quickly, such as changing your energy tariff, switching to LED lighting, or moving your data to the cloud.
2. Engage With Stakeholders
When developing your plan, ensure you have engaged with all affected stakeholders, including internal sustainability, estates, planning and operational teams, and suppliers. Most of all, think about the impact on your customers.
3. Make Your Plan Scalable
It helps to break your plan into manageable parts to make it more achievable. Take it one step at a time, and if needed, use external expertise to help you. Your plan can be split into phases of adoption, leaving room for you to learn and adapt over time and make it more manageable and scalable.
4. Future-Proof Your Plan
Future-proof as much as possible: consider what your infrastructure needs to look like, for example, if you are considering electric vehicles. Look at the sustainability of your building materials and how your technology will age.
Allow time and space to understand the options available, and don’t be scared to try something new.
Step 3: Implement The Changes
A good way to approach the changes is by doing them gradually. This allows for more time and patience when making your decisions while ensuring everyone else understands why these choices were made so they can support or accept whatever decision comes next (or both).
Setting out your plan and engaging with your team and other key stakeholders will give you a strong starting point. Slow, incremental changes can be more cost-effective in the long term.
Step 4: Review Your Impact
It’s important to understand the impact your changes have had on climate change. This stage is about measuring success, identifying areas for improvement and ensuring that the changes you’ve made drive meaningful results.
When reviewing your impact, ask yourself the following questions:
- Have your carbon reduction efforts been successful? If so, great, do more of them.
- Have you created new problems elsewhere in the organisation as a result of them?
- Or have they only solved some existing issues with no negative side effects so far, but more change is needed anyway for other reasons?
Even the smallest steps matter. Every positive action, from reducing energy use to improving recycling rates, contributes to the wider fight against global warming. Be sure to celebrate your wins along the way; recognising progress keeps momentum high and teams motivated.
Where possible, share what you’ve learned with your team and the wider industry. Transparency encourages collaborations and accelerates change across sectors. Don’t forget that many of your emissions, particularly Scope 3, are linked to your supply chain. Helping your suppliers adopt more sustainable practices can multiply your impact.
Related Reading: How To Know If Your Supply Chain Is Sustainable
Step 5: Look To The Future
Like all good process improvements, your Net Zero Strategy should be a continuous improvement cycle. Use this phase to reflect, refine and identify new opportunities:
- Review the data you’ve gathered to measure progress and uncover new areas for improvement.
- Revisit previous changes to assess effectiveness and explore whether you can further optimise them.
- Identify innovations that could boost sustainability, such as greener building materials or smarter energy systems.
- Assess contract opportunities to introduce upgrades or future-proof solutions.
- Engage stakeholders to gather input and align operational updates with your Net Zero goals.
Staying proactive will help your business achieve its Net Zero goals.
Related Reading: How To Build A Sustainable Procurement Policy For Your Business
The NFB is committed to helping members decarbonise in a business-beneficial manner. It is a partner of the Construction Leadership Council’s ConstructZERO campaign and a signatory to the Contractors Declare pledge. For more information, visit the National Federation of Builders website or call them on 0345 578 160.
Ready To Achieve Net Zero?
The Common Assessment Standard is designed to help construction companies meet the requirements for projects, reduce risks, and demonstrate their commitment to a sustainable future.
Veriforce CHAS offers a comprehensive solution to help you achieve the Common Assessment Standard, providing the tools and assessments needed to showcase your commitment to sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility. Our solutions help businesses proactively address key developments from climate change discussions, such as COP26.
Take The Next Step In Achieving Your Net Zero Goals By Partnering With Veriforce CHAS
Updated November 2025
Still have questions about your Net Zero journey?
Find out more about the Common Assessment Standard accreditation covering Corporate Social Responsibility.
