Alongside individual action, businesses have a part to play in helping Wealden district become net zero by 2044. Climate Change poses a significant risk to business operations. This may include operational costs and physical impacts to the business e.g. flooding. This operational risk can mean it’s important to take action to prepare for the effects of Climate Change.
If you’re one of the more than 8,600 businesses operating in Wealden, there are support services available to you to help you on your net zero carbon journey.
These services can walk you through the practical steps to reduce your carbon footprint and how this can drive business growth and increase resilience for the future of your business. Additionally you can visit our Business Organisations – Wealden District Council for information relating to businesses in Wealden and more widely across East Sussex.
Sign up to Wealden’s Business Newsletter and find out more information for how we support businesses locally.
Greener Wealden: Supporting Greener Businesses
Wealden District Council have already committed to reducing the environmental impact of our own buildings, operations and transport and are committed to supporting local businesses to reduce their environmental impact, improve efficiency and take advantage of the opportunities created by the transition to a low-carbon economy.
Tackling climate change is not only essential for protecting Wealden’s natural environment and communities – it also presents significant economic opportunities. As set out in our Economic Development Strategy, the transition to net zero will drive new markets, create jobs and support innovation across the local economy. The Economic Development Strategy is available to view on our webpages – Wealden Economic Development Strategy – Wealden District Council.
Net Zero Wealden
Wealden’s Economic Development Strategy identifies Net Zero Wealden as a key priority. For businesses, this means:
- Supporting local businesses to reduce carbon emissions, improve energy efficiency and adapt to climate change
- Helping businesses access skills, training and advice to support the transition to net zero
- Supporting investment in low-carbon technologies, renewable energy and sustainable transport
- Encouraging the development of new green jobs, products and services
- Ensuring the transition to net zero strengthens Wealden’s economy while protecting our natural environment
By acting early, businesses can reduce costs, improve resilience, meet customer expectations and gain a competitive advantage in a growing green economy.
The video below, produced by Clarity Video, funded by The MSC Foundation, highlights the advantages of setting a net zero goal for your business, today.
As one of the more than 8,600 businesses in Wealden, we ask you to unite with us in enhancing the quality of life and work in our district. Regardless of the size of your business, your contributions hold the potential to significantly influence the future of our low carbon economy and community.
Being a green business that prioritises environmental sustainability, you can:
- Contribute to safeguarding the planet for future generations
- Explore promising prospects for business expansion within the emerging green economy
- Save money on energy costs
- Attract new customers/expand your customer base
You can mitigate the impact of increasing energy costs by cutting down on your energy consumption. This could involve:
- Installing insulation
- Draught proofing
- Extra window glazing
- Switching to less carbon intensive heating
- Installing LED lighting
- Generating renewable electricity
Businesses are facing increasingly higher utility bills due to volatility in the energy market.
The Climate Change Levy has also imposed an additional cost on small and medium enterprises – which are the vast majority of businesses in Wealden – that rely on non-renewable energy sources such as gas.
Other methods of reducing your businesses carbon footprint, which may be simpler than you think, include:
- Sourcing goods and services locally
- Limiting business travel
- Removing all unnecessary packaging from your products
Consumers are increasingly selective, prioritising “green” products sourced from businesses demonstrating active efforts to mitigate their environmental footprint.
Furthermore, the more environmentally conscious your business is the greater its competitive edge when tendering for contracts. Environmental and social governance (ESG) considerations are now standard in most tender processes, with contractors expecting evidence of environmental impact reduction strategies as integral to successful submissions.
Beyond unlocking new avenues for business growth, integrating robust green initiatives into your brand identity can enhance your ability to attract top-tier talent, and can improve staff morale and productivity.
Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) dictate that landlords are unable to lease properties to new tenants or extend existing tenancies if the property’s Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating falls below E. If you are a landlord and lease a commercial property in Wealden make sure you are complying with the MEES regulations.
For more information on this see our Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards advice page.
Farming & Agriculture Support
The Nature Friendly Farming Network is a farmer-led organisation supporting sustainable farming at every stage of the process. They offer a wide range of resources, including policy updates, sector developments, upcoming events and campaigns, and practical guidance on nature-friendly farming practices.
They also offer a broad range of agri-environmental advice, helping farmers apply for schemes and grants, manage evidence and records, and even submit applications on their behalf.
Catchment Sensitive Farming is a free farming advice service, funded by Defra, which aims to support farms in making improvements to their water, air and soil quality. The CSF offers a range of useful resources and tools, including Agricultural Land Environmental Risk and Opportunity Tool (ALERT), a free mapping tool produced by the Environment Agency to support farmers and local advisers in analysing the landscape and reducing agricultural pollution.
LEAF is a global network that brings together farmers, the food industry, scientists, and consumers to promote more sustainable food and farming practices. It offers a range of membership options, with key benefits including on-farm cost savings, opportunities for additional income, and improvements to environmental and business performance.
Support for Businesses
BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) is one of the world’s leading sustainability assessment methods for buildings and infrastructure.
BREEAM training courses help businesses understand how to design, construct and manage buildings in a more sustainable way.
Benefits of BREEAM training include:
- Understanding how to improve the environmental performance of buildings
- Supporting compliance with sustainability standards and planning requirements
- Enhancing professional skills and credibility in sustainable construction
- Helping businesses respond to growing demand for greener buildings
BREEAM courses are delivered by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) and are available at different levels depending on experience and role.
The Carbon Trust provides resources for businesses, financial institutions and governments to help take advantage of the opportunities Climate Change may provide, and to improve the sustainability of their operations. They also offer a free carbon calculator for selected emission sources.
The East Sussex College & OHM Energy Training Hub, in partnership with OHM Energy, provides specialist training focused on low-carbon technologies and energy efficiency. This includes training designed to support the growing demand for skills in areas such as retrofit, renewable energy and sustainable construction.
These courses help businesses to:
- Upskill existing staff to meet new environmental and regulatory requirements
- Develop skills needed for low-carbon heating, energy efficiency and retrofit projects
- Support workforce transition into greener roles and industries
This training is particularly valuable for businesses in construction, building services, property and energy-related sectors.
The East Sussex Growth Hub is a free, independent and publicly funded business support service for businesses across East Sussex. They are the first step for any business seeking help and they can help you find the solutions your business needs to thrive. The team of business experts is dedicated to helping you find the right support, helping your business grow and helping to make East Sussex a great place to run a business.
The East Sussex Business Hub has been set up as a gateway to accessing different programmes of support available to independent businesses in East Sussex, as well as providing some online training, support, resources, and a community of other like-minded business owners.
Join this hub to find out more, including:
- One 2 One Business Health Checks (free for business owners in East Sussex)
- Big Ambitions: A fully funded programme with up to 18 hours of one to one advice from a team of specialists and small business expert advisors for local businesses looking to grow
- Ready to Grow: A series of training workshops for businesses in their first 3 years of trading – delivered by small business specialists – plus one to one support.
- Free Online Courses
- Update on other local supports
- A community of independent business owners
- Resources to help you grow
Energy Technology List is the UK’s leading energy technology list, supporting businesses and public sector bodies to make greener energy choices. The ETL can benefit businesses in two ways:
- Purchasers can receive free, impartial advice and information to help them easily compare features and performance of up to around 8,000 energy efficient products (this includes boilers, electric motors, air conditioning and refrigeration equipment).
- Manufacturers can list their products on the ETL at no cost through a straightforward application process. This ensures their products align with government policies, reflect industry best practices, and rank among the top 25% most energy-efficient in their category.
Energy Saving Trust supports businesses of all sizes through advice, training and consultancy services, enabling them to play their part in building a sustainable, energy efficient future. Some of the main areas they cover include:
- Renewable energy
- Communications and insights
- Energy efficiency
The Federation of Small Businesses supports small businesses on their net-zero journey through its Sustainability Hub. The hub offers clear guidance, practical tips, real-life examples, and links to further resources to help businesses make informed decisions and take meaningful steps toward reducing their environmental impact.
The Green Growth Platform is a fully funded business support programme designed to help small and medium-sized businesses across the South East reduce their environmental impact and grow sustainably.
Delivered by the University of Brighton, the programme provides free, practical support to help businesses cut carbon emissions, save money and improve long-term resilience.
Support available through the Green Growth Platform includes:
- One-to-one advice from experienced sustainability and innovation specialists
- Support to measure and understand your business’s environmental impact
- Help identifying opportunities to reduce energy use, waste and carbon emissions
- Guidance on developing low-carbon products, services or processes
- Access to specialist workshops, webinars and peer-to-peer learning
The programme is suitable for businesses at all stages of their sustainability journey, from those just starting out to businesses looking to innovate and grow their green offer.
The UK Business Climate Hub was launched by the UK government with the goal of supporting British SMEs to reduce their energy bills and work towards their net zero targets. The hub offers a range of resources to help businesses reduce emissions, including support with electric vehicles and transport, waste reduction, and the ‘7 steps to sustainability’.
Funding Opportunities
Please view our page for business grants, loans and funding.
Keep an eye on this web page for future announcements of available net zero funding for your business.
The Community Energy Fund (CEF) follows the success of the former Rural Community Energy Fund (RCEF) and expands its scope to include urban areas.
The Fund can support projects under two broad headings: Community energy asset projects (such as renewable or low carbon energy, electric vehicles) or community energy efficiency or advice projects.
Funding is not available for capital works, equipment or service delivery, and cannot be used to cover costs incurred prior to the grant offer.
Loan schemes that may be available for funding energy-efficiency projects and promoting environmentally sustainable growth include:
- Funding Options Green Finance Marketplace can be used to compare SME banking products. Other high street banks also offer ‘green’ loans.
- The Recovery Loan Scheme can provide SMEs with up to £2 million as a term loan, overdraft, invoice finance or asset finance.
Opportunities for social enterprises, charities and community organisations:
- Social enterprises and charitable organisations could qualify for loan financing ranging from £20,000 to £150,000 through the Big Issue Invest: Big Energy Saving Loans program. These funds are earmarked for implementing energy-efficient measures and renewable energy projects.
Through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, domestic and small non-domestic properties may be able to benefit from:
- £5,000 off the cost and installation of an air source heat pump.
- £5,000 off the cost and installation of a biomass boiler – only in rural locations and properties that are not connected to the gas grid.
- £6,000 off the cost and installation of a ground source heat pump.
The Workplace Charging Scheme can cover up to 75% of the purchase and installation costs of electric vehicle (EV) charge points for registered businesses, charities and public sector organisations.
Temporary tax reliefs until March 2026 mean limited companies paying corporation tax will be able to claim:
- 100% first-year relief on qualifying new main rate plant and machinery.
- 50% first-year allowance for expenditure on new special rate assets, including long-life assets such as solar panels and thermal insulation for buildings.
- Until March 2025, businesses can also reclaim 100% first year allowances for zero-emission cars and goods vehicles
Food & Local Produce Initiatives
Sussex Food and Drink , developed by Natural Partnerships CIC, supports local farming and the food and drink industry by offering a comprehensive Sussex-wide map and directory for businesses and individuals across the region.
In 2023, Wealden District Council supported Natural Partnerships CIC in launching the Sussex Six campaign which encourages hospitality and retail businesses in Wealden to commit to stocking at least six new local product lines over the next year.
By joining the campaign, businesses can be featured in the Sussex Six Directory – a great way to promote your business, support the local economy, and reduce your carbon footprint. Full details on how to get involved are available on the Sussex Food and Drink website.
Good Food for East Sussex is a network of organisations in the local area convened by East Sussex County Council, collaborating on a range of areas, including:
- community growing, land use and planning;
- food procurement and catering; and
- climate, natural environment and planetary health.
The network hosts a variety of food events throughout the year, including Good Food East Sussex Month every October, which brings together communities and local businesses to harvest, cook, and share food. They’ve also created a Supplier and Buyer Directory, which businesses can apply to join via the Good Food East Sussex website.
Our Explore Wealden website includes a dedicated page highlighting local farmers and produce markets across Wealden’s towns and villages. You’ll find useful information such as market locations, opening times, and types of produce available — making it easy to plan your next visit and support local businesses.