Tech and Net Zero Conference 2026

Registration and Networking

Welcome Remarks

Opening Keynote

This opening panel will discuss what this new flavour of Labour will mean for climate policy. The experts will look at how the government will approach the net-zero transition at a time of resurging climate-scepticism, growing extreme weather, a ‘reprioritisation’ towards retail cost of living policies, and a need to keep costs down.

Break

Following a summer of wildfires and heatwaves and a likely winter of floods and storms, different parts of the tech sector will share how they have prepared for extreme weather, and how they are modelling their exposure to the risks of an already changed climate.

There are many great examples of greener digital, but too many remain local good practice. They depend on passionate individuals rather than being built into how digital gets done. Meanwhile, climate risk is becoming an operational reality, and digital done badly can quietly undo the benefits it promises. In this keynote conversation, Greener NHS and Servita explore what it takes to make digital sustainability a now problem. They’ll cover the case for resilience, the positive synergies with cyber, cost and performance, and the commercial levers that keep commitments alive from business case to delivery. Drawing on real, measured results from the NHS Wayfinder programme, they’ll be honest about what has worked and where the gaps remain.

Climate-tech is a UK success story and has a huge role to play in reindustrialisation, exports and contributing to growth across the UK. However investment is nowhere near what is needed so we will look at the state of climate-tech and how climate-tech can be scaled.

Lunch break

This discussion with the Science Based Targets initiative will cover the new version of the standard, how it shifts from targets to taking action and how voluntary initiatives like this can get the confidence of the market.

The British energy grid needs to become more flexible, decentralised and agile as we get towards 100% clean power. In this discussion with NESO we will explore where the best opportunities are for tech, how AI can make a difference and ensuring the grid is resilient.

Transition plans are becoming a core expectation for businesses, as investors, customers and government look for clear evidence of how companies will deliver on their net zero commitments. A credible plan goes well beyond headline targets, setting out the concrete actions, governance, resources and milestones needed to decarbonise, and shows how the business will stay resilient as policy and markets change.

This practical breakout session will take members through how to build a credible, trusted and future-ready net zero transition plan. It builds on techUK's 'Tech Towards Net Zero' transition plan guide, published last year, and on the government's work on transition planning.

GHG Protocol and SBTi are changing, adapting to organisations' need to enlarge the concept of "sustainability" to include planning, operations, finance and procurement. Led by ERM, this practical session will explore the implications for operationalising decarbonisation targets, with a focus on the implications for procurement, finance and the decisions needed to turn ambition into action.

AI is reshaping the climate picture for the tech sector. Rapid growth in model training and inference is driving energy demand, upending emissions forecasts and putting pressure on companies' net zero targets. Yet there is still no consistent way to measure or report the emissions linked to AI, which makes it hard for firms to set credible targets, compare performance, or respond to growing scrutiny from investors, customers and regulators.

To help close this gap, World Resources Institute is working with Climate Group, The B Team, Sustainable AI Group, the University of Oxford, techUK and others to develop a programme that engages buyers of AI and identifies the best approach to enable clear comparison of AI products based on their environmental performance - starting with energy and emissions, and then aiming to include water and other important variables that affect people, nature and climate. This breakout session is an opportunity to help shape that work at an early stage.

Coffee break

Nature is not just an environmental issue. In January 2026, the UK government published a national security assessment concluding that global ecosystem degradation and collapse threaten UK national security and prosperity, warning that this can disrupt food, water, health and supply chains, and trigger wider geopolitical instability. When thinking about resilience – even digital resilience – this depends on systems companies often don’t control, so a technology business can only be as resilient as the infrastructure, suppliers, communities and natural systems it relies on. On a micro level, as we see more climate impacts every year, local communities and often even employees and investors are increasingly aware of and asking questions about how businesses are addressing their nature impacts, even if the business itself can't see any direct related risks. On a more macro level, the total asset value of ecosystem services in the UK has been valued to almost three quarters of our GDP, and while we know that nature underpins our economy and ability to withstand climate impacts, but without hard data or clear investment returns, making the case for responsibility leading to tangle nature-positive action can prove challenging for businesses. This session will move beyond identifying risks to explore how tech companies can open up internal conversations about nature, build the case for action, and turn that into meaningful steps that help reverse nature degradation.

Data centres sit behind almost every digital service we use, and AI is increasing demand. Concerns about energy, water, land and grid capacity are real at a number of UK sites, and they deserve straight answers. This session looks at what the evidence shows about the environmental and local impacts of data centres. It asks where the sector’s work on efficiency, heat reuse and community benefit is succeeding and where it falls short, and how operators, government and communities can have a more constructive conversation.

Participants will leave with a clearer picture of the facts, practical examples of good practice, and ideas for how projects can be environmentally responsible and welcomed locally.

Closing remarks

Networking Drinks