• Swindon & Wiltshire News
• Wednesday March 30 2022
• Author Name: Peter Davison

Business West teams up with software platform Spherics to help businesses tackle their carbon emissions

Business support organisation Business West has teamed up with Bristol-based software platform Spherics to help firms tackle their carbon emissions.
Four months on from COP26, where world leaders committed themselves to rapid action on climate change, a UN assessment claims that many of the impacts of global warming are now simply ‘irreversible’.

However, a new report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, says there is still a brief window of time to avoid the very worst, if the rise in temperatures is kept below 1.5C.

Business West’s partnership with Spherics allows it to offer members a simple, affordable product to help them measure their carbon emissions impact and support tackling them.

Start-up Spherics offers an automated system that connects to accounting software programmes like Xero, Sage or Quickbooks. It extracts data from firms’ transactions and estimates the CO2e emitted per pound spent.

James Monk, commercial director of Business West said: “Any steps you make to try to improve the environment, using an online carbon calculator or a consultant is going to help.

“Our members have told us they want something affordable and quick that will provide them with a benchmark measurement for their carbon footprint.

“We investigated what options are on the market and found the tool that Spherics use fits the bill.

“Put simply, sustainability consultants cost a lot of money, approximately £2K per report. Spherics price is as little as £9 per month, it is fast and ten times more accurate than an online carbon footprinting tool.”

Duncan Oswald, head of climate science at Spherics added: “Good business decisions are made when you have all the information required. You wouldn’t try to make saving cuts without a financial statement, equally you shouldn’t try to cut emissions without an accurate carbon footprint.

“Time after time, we see businesses complete their carbon footprint and they are shocked to see the emissions hot-spots are not where they were expecting.

“After getting an accurate footprint, the fun part begins. It involves identifying the ‘low hanging fruit’. Often there is a large amount of it and, from there, Spherics can offer companies guidance on making changes in problem areas.”

Business West is offering a three-month trial to members, and a one-month trial to non-members. Details can be found at https://www.businesswest.co.uk/simple-way-measure-carbon-footprint-your-business