Oh Yes! Net Zero project updates
It’s been another busy year for Oh Yes! Net Zero.
It’s been another busy year for Oh Yes! Net Zero.
Whether it’s our Climate Changemakers programme inspiring more young people to take action, or our Carbon Clinic workshops helping members get started with net zero, our campaign continues to make a significant contribution across the region.
We now have more than 170 active members, employing over 56,000 people, spanning all sectors and industries. What connects them all? They are totally committed to reducing their carbon footprint and becoming more sustainable.
Here are some key facts and numbers from the past 12 months.
Enabling a fair transition to net zero
With the UK setting a legally binding net zero target of 2050, and major corporations announcing their own ambitions, it’s easy to get swept along with the pace at which the transition must happen.
What is of equal importance, though, is ensuring the transition to net zero is fair.
The Hull and East Yorkshire economy is characterised by its prevalence of small businesses. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for 98 per cent of all private sector in the region. While SMEs hold a number of advantages over larger organisations, from agility to speed of decision-making, they also face unique challenges in reaching net zero.
Lack of time and knowledge emerge as common barriers, along with the investment required to implement net zero projects – be it renewable energy installations, building efficiency upgrades or switching company vehicle fleets to electric models.
SMEs often do not have an employee dedicated to sustainability, and in a fast-paced and busy world, it can be difficult to allocate the time needed to progress with net zero.
Despite those challenges, SMEs are embracing net zero, and the business benefits which come with it.
Of our 170+ active members, 79 per cent are Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs).
Almost half (48 per cent) of our members now have a carbon reduction in place.
43 per cent of members actively engage in Oh Yes! Net Zero activities, and our members have donated more than 1,500 hours of their time to support the campaign.
Oh Yes! Net Zero is committed to ensuring no business is left behind, supporting a fair transition for SMEs, micro businesses and large organisations alike.
At the core of Oh Yes! Net Zero are several key projects. Here, we summarise the latest developments from across the campaign -
Oh Yes! Members attending a Carbon Clinic workshop
Carbon Clinic workshops
Since our year two report was published in May 2024, we’ve delivered 11 Carbon Clinic workshops to more than 30 members.
Working with our partners, BACB Renewables, the workshops have helped members understand their Scope 1, 2 and 3 carbon footprint, and create an outline plan to reduce it.
Of the 31 participants at our Carbon Clinic workshops, 17 have finalised their reduction plan.
Some of our members have also been involved in one-to-one workshops, working alongside a key supplier or partner to jointly measure and reduce their carbon footprint. You can find an example of that, featuring Future Humber and Pace Communications, later in this report.
Climate Changemakers
In the last 12 months, our Climate Changemakers programme has delivered two workshops to around half a dozen schools across Hull and East Yorkshire.
Our most recent workshop, in partnership with Living with Water, tasked students from three schools to create their own miniature sustainable drainage system (SuDS) models, to see first-hand how they can mitigate the risk of flooding and control the flow of water.
We’ve issued six grants, jointly funded with Hull City Council, to six climate-conscious schools in the city, and our Changemakers programme is empowering students to speak out. Around 75 students have delivered activities and sessions to their peers, inspiring them to get involved.
Last but not least, we crowned the champions of our Changemaker Challenge competition. Congratulations to students at The Boulevard Academy, who travelled down to Westminster with us to meet with Hull West and Haltemprice MP Emma Hardy.
Climate Changemakers workshop
For every £1 of energy put in, £7.41 of renewable electricity comes back out.
Living with a Heat Pump
Since its launch, we’ve been involved in an exciting heat pump trial with Hull City Council and Ideal Heating.
The trial has seen four of Ideal Heating’s Logic Air heat pumps installed at the Barnsley Buildings, in Nornabell Street, east Hull, alongside four brand new gas boilers.
Data has been recorded over all four seasons to compare the efficiency, and cost, of running the heat pump compared to a boiler. We’re pleased to say the results have been extremely positive.
The average Seasonal Coefficient of Performance (SCOP) rating across the four heat pumps was 7.41. That means the heat pumps are, on average, 741 per cent efficient.
For every £1 of energy put in, £7.41 of renewable electricity comes back out.
Hull City Council’s 2030 carbon neutral strategy sets out eight key themes which require focused action. One of these key themes is heat. The trial will form an important part of the Council’s future strategy to decarbonise home heating.
C40 Cities - Smart City Expo, Barcelona
Working with C40 Cities
Through our Founding Partner Reckitt, Oh Yes! Net Zero has worked closely with C40 Cities, a global network of nearly 100 cities united to confront the climate crisis.
Oh Yes! Net Zero has been highlighted as an example of a business-led initiative which is helping a city and region progress towards net zero.
Our campaign featured prominently in a book co-authored by Andrea Fernández, a member of C40 Cities’ Climate Leadership Group for the UK.
Titled ‘Empowering Smart Cities through Community-Centred Public Private Partnerships and Innovations,’ Oh Yes! Net Zero’s innovative model stood alongside world-leading collaborations which are helping businesses tackle their carbon footprint.
We were also proud to join C40 Cities at the Smart City Expo in Barcelona last year, telling Hull’s unique net zero story on an international stage.
Oh Yes! Members from Springfield Solutions and the University of Hull
University of Hull partnership
We are about to start a significant new partnership project with the University of Hull.
Under a pilot project, a PhD student within the University’s Logistics Institute will work with Oh Yes! member Springfield Solutions to assess the environmental impact of its transport operations.
The student will produce a report which will set out the carbon impact of Springfield’s logistics operations and provide solutions to reduce it.
If the trial is successful, the project will be extended to Oh Yes! members to benefit from students’ expertise across a broad range of disciplines.
