The UK has made a commitment to become Net Zero by 2050, with a target of 68% emission reduction in the next four years and a 81% reduction in the next nine years. These goals aren’t just guidelines; they’re mandatory government targets.
When it comes to minimising emissions, with these kinds of stringent restrictions on the horizon, UK businesses will have a huge role to play. This is just one of the reasons why the government relaunched the UK Net Zero Council in 2025, bringing together businesses, local authorities and more in the mission to lower our carbon output as a country.
The extent to which your business is bound by compulsory sustainability reporting depends on its size – for example, all publicly listed companies must now adhere to mandatory sustainability reporting frameworks.
SMEs do not face the same level of scrutiny, but will be affected by new pressures. For instance, sustainability is now more important than ever to consumers, with many willing to pay on average 9.7% more for environmentally friendly products.
Want to get ahead of the game and reduce your company’s carbon footprint now? Try one of Daikin Rental Solutions’ top swaps for carbon reduction that goes beyond the norm…
1. Give out sustainability loyalty points
E-commerce business? Reward your customers for their loyalty to the sustainable cause with perks like cheaper delivery or discounted items when they opt for slower shipping or have a track record of fewer returns.
This reduces carbon emissions overall, with less or slower transport required, and means lower levels of packaging, plastic or carboard waste at your end.
Considering the fact that the UK sent 5.3m tonnes of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) to landfill in just one year, despite the fact that this material can be easily recycled, this small change could have a big impact!
2. Do a digital spring clean
Keeping all those old files on your company’s servers, cloud or drive is seriously contributing to your company’s carbon footprint, thanks to high use of electricity use and cooling needs.
Data centres are estimated to contribute a large amount to greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for up to 3.7% of the global total. Clearing out old data that your company no longer needs and only storing the really essential stuff can help reduce energy demand as part of a larger sustainability drive, making your individual business operations greener.
3. Don’t buy; rent!
Boiler or chiller unit hire is becoming more common, with companies opting to rent a modern system with a high-efficiency rating that uses less electricity and requires less maintenance.
Mike England, Rental Sales and Service Manager from Daikin Rental Solutions explains: “Taking the manufacturing sector as an example, it’s estimated that 30% of overall energy is wasted because of inefficient or old systems.
“Every single kilowatt-hour of wasted energy use seriously affects profit margins, with businesses at risk of losing close to 4% of their overall revenue because of inefficiencies that could be easily prevented with up-to-date, well-maintained equipment.
“Renting also reduces a unit’s ‘idle’ time, increasing utilisation and preventing unwanted energy use or waste due to non-use. If you only need an industrial chiller for your products in the summer months, it’s pointless to buy one only for it to stand empty during the winter.”
4. Ditch the AI reliance
Did you know that every single 100-word prompt entered into an AI programme uses an entire 500ml bottle of water? Yet, AI use shows no sign of slowing down, with 66% of UK employers admitting to investing heavily in AI in recent months and a huge 21.1 million people using AI tools within a single month in the UK.
Encourage employees to be smart with their AI use. Need to trawl through a large data set or find inconsistencies in sprawling reports? AI is the ideal partner. Just writing a check-in email to Jenny in accounts? Skip the AI assist and save yourself the unnecessary carbon output.
5. Trial a four-day week
Between January and March 2025, 28% of UK adults enjoyed a hybrid working pattern, balancing office days with work-from-home time. More than 80% of workers worldwide prefer this form of working, which also reduces carbon output, with less energy used daily in the office and less commuters on the roads.
However, studies show that going one step further with a four-day work week could reap even more benefits. Research shows that a shorter working week could reduce the UK’s carbon output by a massive 127m tonnes in just 12 months. This is the carbon reduction equivalent of taking 25m cars off the road.
Will Stronge, Chief Executive of The Autonomy Institute, was commissioned to coordinate a trial of a four-day working week in the public sector. He told the BBC, “The results of the pilot have been overwhelmingly positive, demonstrating that both the workers and employers involved are thriving.”
Of those companies who took part in the pilot, 92% have agreed to continue with the four-day week. Business revenue remained largely the same throughout the trial, while the number of team members leaving the company dropped by almost 60%.
Following the trial, 15% of staff members stated that no amount of money would encourage them to return to a five-day working week, with 39% feeling less stressed and 71% experiencing reduced levels of burnout.
Will you be trying any of these swaps? Start reducing your company’s carbon footprint in line with the UK’s Net Zero targets today.
