Great Start

Key dates

2024

• November 2024 to February 2025: The UK government needs to set a new Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for 2035

2025

• 2025: The UK government is due to agree on the seventh carbon budget, which will cover the period from 2038 to 2042
• January 1, 2025: The EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and EU Taxonomy will impact UK companies with EU subsidiaries over a certain size
• Q2 2025: The UK government will decide on future disclosure requirements for UK companies not within the FCA’s regulatory regime

2026

• January 1, 2026: Changes to the Companies Act 2006 will not be effective earlier than this date for companies that voluntarily use the UK Sustainability Reporting Standards

2030

• 2030: The UK has committed to a 68% reduction in emissions by this year as part of its NDC towards the Paris Agreement¹.

2035

• 2035: Milestone year for businesses to achieve interim net zero targets, as many companies set goals for significant emissions reductions by this date².

2045

• 2045: Scotland aims to become a net zero economy by this year.

2050

• 2050: The UK and many businesses worldwide aim to achieve net zero emissions by this year

Digital Badging

The video content we have made includes digital badging. This means that every employee that watches the content can get the relevant badge to show that they have learnt about that area of sustainability and con do this by using the QR code on each video. We want you to show that you are learning and developing your understanding and use the badges on linkedin profiles and websites to tell your customers how you are getting on.

https://myskillspass.uk

If you already have an account in https://myskillspass.uk, we have saved your badge there. Otherwise you can create your free account by clicking the button below:

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Glossary of sustainability, Net-Zero and Green terms

A

• ACC: Anthropogenic Climate Change
• AGW: Anthropogenic Global Warming
• Acidification: Decrease in the pH of the oceans due to increased carbon dioxide.
• Aerial Litter: Litter that is released into the air, such as balloons and sky lanterns.

B

• Biodiversity: Variety of plant and animal life in a particular habitat.
• Biodegradable: Capable of being decomposed by bacteria or other living organisms.
• Biofuel: Fuel derived from organic matter.
• BPA: Bisphenol A, a chemical used in plastics.

C

• Carbon Footprint: Total greenhouse gases emitted by an individual, organization, event, or product.
• Carbon Neutral: Achieving net zero carbon dioxide emissions.
• Circular Economy: An economic system aimed at eliminating waste and the continual use of resources.
• Climate Change: Long-term alteration of temperature and typical weather patterns in a place.

D

• Decarbonization: Reduction of carbon dioxide emissions through the use of low carbon power sources.
• Deforestation: The clearing of trees, transforming a forest into cleared land.

E

• Ecosystem: A biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment.
• Emissions: The production and discharge of something, especially gas or radiation.
• ESG: Environmental, Social, and Governance criteria used to evaluate a company’s operations.

F

• Fossil Fuels: Natural fuels such as coal or gas, formed in the geological past from the remains of living organisms.

G

• GHGs: Greenhouse Gases, such as carbon dioxide and methane, that trap heat in the atmosphere.
• Greenwashing: Deceptive practice where a company exaggerates or falsely advertises its environmental efforts.

H

• Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs): Synthetic compounds used in refrigeration and air conditioning, potent greenhouse gases.

I

• IPCC: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a UN body for assessing the science related to climate change.
• ISO: International Organization for Standardization, which develops and publishes international standards.

J

• JIT: Just-in-Time, a production strategy that reduces in-process inventory and associated costs.

K

• Kyoto Protocol: An international treaty that commits its parties to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

L

• LCA: Life Cycle Assessment, a technique to assess environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product’s life.

M

• Microplastics: Small plastic pieces less than five millimeters long which can be harmful to our ocean and aquatic life.

N

• NDCs: Nationally Determined Contributions, commitments by countries to reduce national emissions and adapt to climate change.

O

• Offsets: Projects that compensate for carbon emissions by reducing or capturing greenhouse gases elsewhere.

P

• Paris Agreement: An international treaty on climate change aiming to limit global warming to below 2°C.
• PCR: Post-Consumer Recycled, materials that have been recycled after being used by consumers.

Q

• QMS: Quality Management System, a framework for documenting processes, procedures, and responsibilities.

R

• Renewable Energy: Energy from sources that are naturally replenishing, such as wind or solar power.
• Recycling: The process of converting waste into reusable material.

S

• Sustainability: Meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
• SECR: Streamlined Energy and Carbon reporting requirements

T

• Triple Bottom Line: A sustainability framework that includes social, environmental, and financial performance.

U

• Upcycling: Reusing discarded objects or material in such a way as to create a product of higher quality or value than the original.

V

• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs): Organic chemicals that have a high vapor pressure at room temperature.

W

• Waste Management: The collection, transportation, and disposal of garbage, sewage, and other waste products.

X

• Xeriscaping: Landscaping that reduces or eliminates the need for irrigation.

Y

• Yield: The amount of crop produced in a given area.

Z

• Zero Waste: The conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of products, packaging, and materials without burning and with no discharges to land, water, or air that threaten the environment or human health.