cero.earth: Helping your Organisation Achieve Net Cero

Net zero carbon emissions by 2050

In 2008 the UK Government announced the Climate Change Act, which set the target of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2050. As we approach the half-way mark to this deadline, it becomes increasingly clear that this seemingly futuristic date is no longer the stuff of science fiction. Unlike hoverboards or teleportation, climate change and global warming are definites, and will cause irreparable damage to our planet should we not meet our targets. Encouraging paper straws and public transport is no longer enough; pressure needs to be put on both the public and private sectors to make consistent and substantial changes before it is too late. Enter cero.earth: a carbon accounting platform developed by edenseven.

Part of the Cambridge MC group of companies, edenseven combines the data and technology expertise of Cambridge MC, with its own data-led sustainability consulting expertise.  

In addressing the urgency of achieving net-zero - hence its name, cero - cero.earth works on the cloud to measure and report your emissions and provide you with actions, delivering quantifiable outcomes to achieve complete decarbonisation. Its three main objectives: to provide accurate and mature DATA in order to produce honest and straightforward INSIGHT, which can be turned into tangible and effective ACTION. 

Why now?

So why cero.earth now? Looking first at the public sector, aside from the ever-approaching date of net zero 2050, edenseven has located a distinct lack of structure in the sustainability operations across public sector organisations. In 2022, the House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts reported that, ‘the public sector as a whole lacks clear standards for measuring and reporting emissions’. This boils down to two things: an absence of clear achievable targets, and little precedent for the progress and tracking of these ‘targets’ to remain transparent and accountable, an operation which the same report describes as ‘fragmented and ineffective’ (2022). In short, though the UK Government has established a multitude of ‘Greening Government Commitments’ to aid their journey to net zero, they don’t appear very committed to them; and though there are a handful of loose targets scattered throughout the public sector, they are not coherent enough to be fruitful. cero.earth, however, leaves no room for this. cero.earth takes good quality, mature data from the public sector and treats it with edenseven and Cambridge MC’s wealth of consulting expertise and technical understanding to produce clear and actionable solutions. 

In the private sector, this imperative to act is even broader. Not only are companies expected to take meaningful action on climate change by a range of stakeholders—from customers, to employees, to investors—but reducing emissions saves money and thus increases profit. To put it bluntly: carbon equals cost. This was the case before the recent spike in energy prices and is even more prescient now. This means that there are not only the obvious environmental reasons to take rapid action, but reducing emissions has positive ramifications for both the engagement and economy of a business. And, as any good business knows, good data allows for meaningful insight, which in turn produces impactful actions, something which cero.earth is designed to provide.

What makes cero.earth different

What makes cero.earth different from other carbon accounting platforms? Here, we return to the repeated term: data, specifically mature data. Firstly, this refers to data which prioritises robustness over precision in order to deliver equally robust insights with the imminence and urgency so key in environmental matters . This data will subsequently become accurate and precise over time, by working with cero.earth, which leads us onto the next of cero.earth’s unique qualities. cero.earth is not a static platform that can be glanced at idly once in a blue moon. It is a dynamic, intuitive, and forward-thinking programme which gathers data across both an organisation and its supply chain to provide well-informed insights, and produces a stepping-stone pathway of actions that terminates at net-zero. This makes it plain and easy for public sector organisations of all sizes to track their progress against their own unique and individualised goals. 

And thirdly, as this suggests, cero.earth uses holistic data, taking into account the entirety of the emissions landscape in order to produce big picture results. Regarding cero.earth’s primary aim of complete decarbonisation of the private and public sector, this refers to the inclusion of ‘Scope 3’. Most sustainability assessments and carbon accounting platforms will prioritise—or look exclusively at—Scopes 1 and 2, which cover the direct and indirect burning of fossil fuels respectively. Put simply, direct burning, or Scope 1, can be seen in the day-to-day usage of one’s car (unless it is electric), boiler, or gas-powered oven. Indirect burning, or Scope 2, is most commonly found in the use of electricity—i.e. light switches, fridges, or your TV—which also requires the burning of fossil fuels to be powered. cero.earth does not stop here, but takes into account Scope 3: the fossil fuels burned, as aforementioned, throughout the supply chain. Why is this important? Because Scope 3 constitutes roughly 70-80% of all total emissions, which is a visibly large chunk to be brushed under the carpet. By giving this the same attention as Scopes 1 and 2, cero.earth demonstrates its commitment to the serious and wide-reaching approach that sustainability consulting requires.

So why should you use cero.earth in your organisation? As we have outlined, cero.earth is able to intuitively and efficiently assess your emissions with the purpose of providing you with a complete and fool-proof plan to achieving net zero. Not only will this mark your contribution to the future of our planet, but will keep your organisation cost-efficient and relevant in our increasingly environmentally-conscious landscape. Since its launch, cero.earth has already captured 1,500 emission factors, a figure which is growing all the time. So don’t wait—climate change certainly isn’t.

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