Insights and Learnings from our Sustainability Survey
Key Survey Findings
This survey captures the current landscape of net zero commitments, strategies, and support needs across sectors.
TEAM Energy has surveyed over 100 UK based organisations across a variety of sectors, industries, sizes and turnovers over a period of 8 weeks to uncover patterns in strategy, planning and challenges in relation to net zero compliance and commitment.
The results reveal that UK businesses are eager to progress their net zero journey but face significant barriers, including a lack of knowledge, local expertise, and clear strategic direction. While intentions are strong, there is a clear need for guidance, support, and a structured plan to help them take meaningful action.
Key Findings
- 76% of organisations cited financial constraints as one of the primary challenges in their transition to net zero, while 38% pointed to technological limitations.
- 73% of respondents answered that financial support would be most beneficial in aiding them on their net zero journey, whilst 64% cited training and education would provide the biggest benefit.
- 49% of organisations have made a formal commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions, with 26% aiming to achieve net zero in line with the UK Government’s 2050 target.
- 56% of respondents dually identified corporate social responsibility and brand reputation as their main drivers for their transition to net zero.
The Path to Net Zero: Why UK Organisations Must Act Now
In 2019, the UK amended its Climate Change Act to set a legally binding target: net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Achieving this goal requires organisations to adopt science-based targets, typically involving a 90% reduction in absolute emissions, with the remainder offset through verified carbon removal methods.
The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), launched in 2018, provides a framework for aligning corporate emissions reductions with the Paris Agreement. It is a key tool for organisations navigating the transition to net zero.
Success at the national level depends on widespread organisational commitment, both through formal SBTi pledges and broader decarbonisation efforts. Emissions are categorised under the GHG Protocol into three scopes:
- Scope 1: Direct emissions from owned or controlled sources
- Scope 2: Indirect emissions from purchased energy
- Scope 3: All other indirect emissions across the value chain
Understanding and managing these scopes is essential for meaningful climate action.
Key Objectives of the Survey
The survey aims to gain an understanding of the extent to which UK organisations and businesses have made formal net zero commitments. It aims to identify the strategies currently being implemented to reduce emissions, assess how these organisations measure and report their carbon emissions, and highlight the types of support most needed to accelerate progress toward net zero goals.
Principal Outcomes
Net Zero Commitments Rise, but Verification Lags Behind
While target years vary, nearly half (49%) of respondents have made a formal commitment to achieving net zero, demonstrating a strong intent across all sectors. The most common target year is 2030 (34%), followed by 2050 (26%) and 2040 (21%), reflecting a mix of near- and long-term ambitions.
However, a significant gap remains in external validation; 55% of organisations with net zero commitments have not had their targets verified by a third party.
This highlights an opportunity to strengthen credibility and accountability on the journey towards decarbonisation.
Net Zero Transition Stalled by Financial and Structural Gaps
Financial constraints emerged as the most critical barrier to net zero transition, with 76% of organisations identifying it as their top challenge. This underscores the urgent need for accessible funding mechanisms, grants, and financial incentives to support sustainability transitions.
In addition, technological limitations (39%) and lack of expertise (33%) are notable challenges, suggesting that many organisations may benefit from targeted training, access to innovation, and expert guidance.
The fact that 28% of organisations lack a dedicated sustainability lead or team further reinforces the need for internal capacity building and leadership engagement.
To accelerate progress, organisations will require not only financial support but also strategic resources, technical assistance, and a stronger internal commitment to sustainability. Addressing these barriers will be essential to achieving meaningful and measurable net zero outcomes.
From Barriers to Solutions: What Support Drives Net Zero Progress
The results show that financial incentives and grants are the most critical form of support, with 73% of respondents identifying them as essential to advancing their organisation’s net zero journey. Highlighting the need for accessible funding to overcome cost barriers.
Training and education, selected by 64% of respondents, emerged as the second most beneficial support area, underscoring the importance of building internal knowledge and capacity to implement effective sustainability strategies.
Additionally, 44% of respondents cited regulatory guidance as a key need, signalling demand for clearer frameworks and compliance pathways.
Together, these findings point to a threefold support strategy: financial aid, capacity building, and policy clarity, which will all be essential to empower organisations and accelerate meaningful progress toward net zero goals.
Majority of Organisations Rate Their Net Zero Progress as Fair or Below
While some organisations are making strides towards net zero, the majority perceive their progress as moderate or lacking. Nearly half of respondents (49%) rated their organisation’s progress as ‘fair’, suggesting that efforts are underway but not yet robust or impactful.
Only 7% of organisations rate their net zero progress as excellent, while 19% rated it as ‘good’.
Conversely, (16%) rated progress as either ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ (7%), highlighting notable challenges or lack of momentum and or confidence in their organisation’s ability to reach net zero.
The results suggest that while awareness and action toward net zero are present, there is considerable room for improvement in strategy, execution, and internal engagement to accelerate progress.
Key Drivers Behind Net Zero Transition: CSR and Reputation Lead the Way
The transition to net zero is primarily driven by corporate social responsibility (56%), followed closely by brand reputation (53%) and regulatory requirements (47%), suggesting that ethical considerations and public perception are key motivators, alongside compliance pressures.
However, the relatively low emphasis on innovation and new business models (18%) indicates that many organisations may not yet be leveraging net zero goals as a catalyst for transformative change. Additionally, 8% of respondents reported no current drivers which highlights a concerning gap in strategic direction or awareness in some organisations.
Overall, while external and reputational factors are prompting action, there is significant opportunity to strengthen internal innovation and long-term value creation in the journey to net zero.
Low Confidence in Organisational Net Zero Targets Revealed
It is evident that there is a significant lack of strong confidence among respondents regarding their organisation’s ability to meet their net zero targets by the set deadline. While one third of respondents expressed being somewhat confident, only 2% reported being extremely confident. This suggests that although there is some optimism, it is tempered by uncertainty or perceived challenges.
The overall sentiment points to a need for clearer strategies, stronger leadership, and more robust support systems to build greater confidence and ensure progress toward net zero goals.
How Does Leadership Drive Net Zero?
The data reveals a concerning disconnect between the recognised importance of leadership in driving net zero progress and the actual influence leadership teams have.
Despite leadership being pivotal to a successful transition, only 44% of respondents believe their organisation’s leadership plays a moderate role, while 10% say leadership plays no role at all.
This suggests that many organisations may be missing a critical opportunity to leverage leadership as a catalyst for meaningful climate action, and highlights the need for stronger, more visible commitment from the top.
Sector Engagement with Net Zero Against Their Target
Sector Engagement with Net Zero Against Their Target
Across a broad spectrum of engagement across sectors, there are notable differences in their net zero commitment timelines, strategy adoption, and confidence levels. Government bodies stand out as the most proactive, with 45% of organisations targeting net zero by 2030 and a further 30% aiming for 2040–2050. These organisations are also leading in strategy implementation, with 70% adopting measures such as fleet electrification, energy efficiency upgrades, and sustainable supply chain practices. While many government respondents express moderate to high confidence in achieving their targets, they continue to face significant challenges, particularly around financial constraints, regulatory compliance, and data collection.
In the education sector, commitment timelines vary widely, with 40% of institutions setting a 2030 target and others aiming for 2050. Despite this ambition, nearly half of respondents report neutral to low confidence in meeting their goals. Key barriers include the limitations posed by heritage buildings and a lack of dedicated staff resources to drive sustainability initiatives.
Charities and trusts also demonstrate strong intent, with 60% of organisations aiming for net zero between 2030 and 2040. Their progress appears to be driven by strong leadership and deeply rooted community values. Common strategies include the adoption of renewable energy technologies, energy efficiency training, and the development of carbon reduction plans. However, these organisations continue to grapple with financial limitations and a lack of technical expertise, which pose ongoing challenges to their net zero journey.
Across all sectors, financial constraints emerge as the most frequently cited barrier to progress. Confidence in meeting net zero targets remains modest overall, with only a small proportion of organisations reporting high levels of certainty about achieving their goals. Despite these challenges, the data suggests a growing commitment to sustainability, with many sectors actively exploring and implementing strategies to reduce emissions and transition toward a low-carbon future.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Financial Constraints
Financial limitations are a significant barrier in the journey towards net zero, with many organisations, particularly charities, SMEs, and public sector bodies highlighting the lack of dedicated funding, the withdrawal of government support schemes, and the high upfront costs of sustainable technologies as key factors slowing progress and undermining long-term planning.
Comments from respondents:
“As a charity, we need financial assistance to achieve net zero.”
“[Our] Net Zero journey requires high investment, which is slowing down the process of achieving Net Zero by 2030.”
“There is a lack of leadership and blueprint/plans and finance at central government level. Targets on their own do not achieve results, it takes resources both capital and staff and both are currently stretched or in short supply.”
Knowledge and Awareness Gaps
A lack of internal expertise, strategic clarity, and practical guidance is a recurring challenge for organisations pursuing net zero, with many expressing uncertainty about where to begin, how to measure progress, and how to embed sustainability effectively, highlighting a clear need for targeted training, accessible resources, and stronger leadership to build confidence and capability across teams.
Comments from respondents:
“There is a lack of knowledge across the team.”
“We are very keen to start our net zero journey. However, we are completely in the dark on how and where to start.”
“This a community hall in a small rural village, there is no expertise available locally.”
“I don’t think there is a strategic sense of direction for how we are going to meet or achieve these targets. It is something that needs to be reviewed in further detail. I would like to have deeper training that holds purpose and is intentional.”
Positive Sentiment and Motivation
Despite facing significant challenges, many organisations demonstrate strong motivation and optimism in their net zero journey, driven by environmental values, competitive pressure, and growing staff engagement, particularly amongst younger employees, highlighting a cultural shift that supports sustainability as both a strategic and ethical priority.
Comments from respondents:
“[We have] good intentions to do whatever we can to reduce our carbon footprint.”
“We have just started looking at this but want to make our company more energy efficient and reduce our usage.”
“[Net zero] is made even more attractive by seeing our competitors reducing and posting all net zero emissions on their social media and websites.”
“Carbon emissions mapping has brought greater efficiency in all departments and functions. We have also noticed a higher level of staff engagement, particularly among the younger generations.”