Event Roundup: Digital Tools for Net Zero Parliamentary Showcase

On 1 July, we were pleased to hold an event at the House of Commons to showcase how digital tech can deliver growth and jobs across the whole of the UK, at the same time as accelerating towards net zero. We hosted this event in partnership with Sage and with the backing of Steve Race MP (Chair of the ClimateTech APPG).

We heard keynotes from Toby Perkins MP (Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee), Daisy Cooper MP (Deputy Leader and Treasury Spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats), and Lord Bilimoria (Chair of the International Chamber of Commerce Europe) before Sage and four startups from their Village Capital program demonstrated their technologies to an audience of MPs, Lords and industry leaders.

Many thanks to those who attended the event, and for those unable to make it we’ve rounded up some of the key takeaways below.

Net zero is a growth opportunity

The message from speakers and exhibitors was clear: the UK has a strong digital tech ecosystem which is already delivering both economic growth and sustainable action. Innovative, high-growth climate solutions are being pioneered by entrepreneurs across the whole of the UK, with recent research from Startup Coalition showing that the top 1000 ClimateTech startups and scaleups are valued at over £42bn and employing over 26,000 people – and over half the firms, jobs and value are based outside of London.

None of this is likely to come as a surprise to those who attended London Climate Action Week events at the end of June. With over 700 events and 50k attendees from all over the world, it proved that the UK has become a leading hub for climate action with both public and private sectors seeking opportunities to align wider strategies with net zero. For our full reflections on the week, our insight is available here.

The cross-party consensus for climate action remains strong

Against a backdrop of growing net zero scepticism in some political spheres, it was great to hear our keynote speakers talk about the strength of cross-party appetite in the UK for meaningful climate action while also recognising that net zero is an enabler – not a barrier – for growth.

This comes after recent YouGov polling which found that the vast majority (84%) of MPs support the UK’s 2050 net zero goal, and we continue to applaud the work of parliamentary groups like the Environmental Audit Committee and ClimateTech APPG in driving meaningful climate policy in government – such as the recent announcement of the ClimateTech APPG’s first inquiry into regulatory barriers to ClimateTech innovation.

There are clear priorities for action ahead

Accelerated deployment of green digital technologies. Digital tech can cut emissions across energy, transport, industry and the built environment but deployment is too slow. Government should prioritise support to scale up proven solutions, fund trials for emerging technologies, and work with industry to remove regulatory and infrastructure barriers.
Greater awareness of the potential of digital tools for accelerating net zero. We were delighted to welcome MPs and Lords from across the political spectrum to explore the potential of digital tools for net zero. With the World Economic Forum estimating that we can cut global emissions by 20% by 2050 solely through deploying existing digital technologies to optimise systems and processes, we need our policymakers to embed digital tech across all major industrial and infrastructure projects and we need to boost consumer confidence in the economic, social, and environmental benefits of new technologies.
More ambitious, agile regulation for climate innovation so that high-growth ClimateTech startups and scaleups can deliver their green growth potential. As Steve Race MP wrote earlier this week, “too often, [climate techs] are held back by regulation that was designed for yesterday’s challenges, not tomorrow’s solutions”. If the UK is to remain at the forefront of climate innovation and accelerate towards net zero, we need government to create an effective, forward-looking regulatory environment for the companies delivering these solutions.

Exhibitors

We were delighted to be joined by some wonderful companies from all across the UK who were exhibiting their technologies:

Sage is the market leader for integrated accounting, payroll, and payment systems, supporting the ambition of the world’s entrepreneurs and helping small and medium-sized enterprises across the UK and beyond to simplify and streamline their operations. Conrad Langridge (Global Marketing Lead – ESG & Carbon Accounting) presented their Sage Earth Carbon Accounting software, which enables businesses to measure their carbon footprint in order to understand and reduce their emissions.
Firstplanit (Ankita Dwivedi, Founder and CEO) is a multi-award-winning SaaS platform transforming how building teams choose materials and products. It delivers instant, data-driven insights into Environmental, Social, Health, and Monetary impacts in a single, simple workflow. At just 10% of the typical cost and 80% time savings, it helps reduce embodied carbon by 35%, landfill waste by 30%, toxic products by 40%, and boosts local procurement by 30%.
Krellian (Ben Francis, Founder) helps facilities managers of commercial buildings to meet their net zero targets and save money by optimising space utilisation and reducing energy consumption. They provide a smart building hub which connects together all of a building’s sensors and management systems into a single standardised interface. Real-time data from that hub is then streamed to a cloud service to create a digital twin of the building which can identify potential optimisations.
Supercycle (Ryan Atkins, Co-Founder and CEO) gives merchants access to circular retail models like resale, rental, and product-as-a-service, so that a company’s growth doesn’t have to depend on making and selling more. Brands grow revenue without making more stuff, cutting waste and overproduction by design.
Climate-i (Elinor Wakefield, Co-Founder and CEO & Sam Lanyon, Co-Founder and CTO) is developing technology to capture and recycle or destroy fugitive industrial gases - starting with sulphur hexafluoride (SF6), the world’s most potent greenhouse gas. SF6 plays a vital role in electricity substations and semiconductor manufacture but leaks are an environmental and operational headache for companies. They have raised over £500k to date and will be conducting their first trials, in the electricity sector, later this year.

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By 2030, digital technology can cut global emissions by 15%. Cloud computing, 5G, AI and IoT have the potential to support dramatic reductions in carbon emissions in sectors such as transport, agriculture, and manufacturing. techUK is working to foster the right policy framework and leadership so we can all play our part. For more information on how techUK can support you, please visit our Climate Action Hub and click ‘contact us’.