Turning climate ambition into meaningful organisational action remains one of the biggest challenges facing businesses today. While many organisations have committed to net zero targets, success depends on policies and reporting frameworks, but also requires people across the organisation to understand, support and contribute to the journey.
In this Net Zero Week webinar, hosted by The Open University, sustainability leaders and practitioners from sectors including finance, professional services, technology and higher education shared practical advice on how to embed clean energy and low-carbon strategies into everyday business operations.
The discussion explored everything from supply chain collaboration and green technology adoption to employee engagement, skills development and leadership buy-in.
Here are ten key takeaways from the session that can help organisations accelerate progress towards net zero. For deeper insights and real-world examples from the expert panel, watch the webinar on demand.
Watch webinar on demand
10 lessons from our Net Zero Week webinar
1. Treat suppliers as partners in innovation
Net zero is rarely achieved alone. Climate-finance expert Rishi Madlani highlighted how long-term collaboration with suppliers helped Camden Council transition towards lower-carbon technologies over time. Rather than expecting immediate success, organisations should challenge suppliers to continuously improve and explore emerging solutions together.
2. Build sustainability into procurement decisions
Every procurement cycle is an opportunity to influence environmental outcomes. Embedding sustainability requirements into tenders and supplier evaluations can create lasting change across the value chain. Small improvements made consistently over several contract renewals can have a significant cumulative impact.
3. Focus on practical green technologies
Innovative technologies don't always need to be complex. From energy-efficient systems and water-saving technologies to renewable energy projects, successful organisations identify solutions that align with their operational needs. The key is understanding your own environment and applying technology where it delivers measurable value.
4. Don't be afraid to learn from failure
Not every sustainability initiative will work as expected. Panellists stressed the importance of testing, evaluating and sharing lessons learned. Organisations that create a culture of experimentation can often accelerate progress faster than those waiting for perfect certainty.
