E-commerce giant Amazon, together with Planet Mark, a sustainability certification firm, have called for the creation of a government-backed Net Zero Resource Hub to help businesses and investors access funding and advice on how to become more sustainable.
The hub would be part of a nationwide campaign to raise awareness across the industry, government and the business community about the crucial UK firms play in decarbonising the economy.
The call comes as part of a new report published today, which follows the government-commissioned Net Zero Review, reflecting the feedback from the leaders from over businesses, investors, consultants and industry bodies, who joined a series of roundtables recently hosted by Planet Mark and Amazon in Bristol, Cambridge and Manchester.
The businesses that took part said that they face many barriers on their journey to Net Zero, including a lack of finance and education on the importance of transitioning.
Looking at funding, Planet Mark and Amazon call for Net Zero regulation to be paired with financial incentives.
This would help businesses plan ahead, accelerate the deployment of low-carbon solutions and properly assess their upfront financing and resourcing needs and could be funded through green tax incentives, they argued.
Funding should be made more easily available for innovative low-carbon products and services.
For example, if a funded pilot project is successful, bridge-funding from both private and public sources is necessary to help these ideas scale commercially, they said.
Steve Malkin, CEO of Planet Mark, said he is "optimistic the UK government will grasp this opportunity following the recent publication of its long-awaited Net Zero Review."
