How 24 years of learning led to creation of Net Zero Week

Chris Skidmore MP, chair of the recent Net Zero Review and former Energy & Clean Growth Minister, is an ambassador for Net Zero Week.

He summed the drive towards net zero up nicely, when he said it provides "the greatest opportunity of our lifetime" to enhance our energy transition in a "way which will secure a warmer and brighter future".

“We simply do not have the time to waste and must seize the opportunities of net zero to avoid the challenges others will face for being not zero," he said.

“Our environment and our future depend on our actions now and Net Zero Week is the perfect way to highlight these opportunities.” 

Shawn Coles founder and director of Net Zero Week put 24 years of learning into the remarkable project.

Net Zero Week was launched two years ago by Coles, who had spent over 20 years working in climate change marketing and media. 

The UK’s official national awareness week, is a not-for-profit social enterprise; and as Coles explains, “it offers all stakeholders a dedicated platform to voice opinions, share evidence and best practice, explore strategy, and highlight solutions in our shared journey towards a net zero future”.

Coles' remarkable career to date has seen him run the UK’s biggest energy exhibition in Birmingham for ten years between 2000-2010 and launch several media channels to reach businesses and help them understand how to reduce their energy use and carbon emissions and navigate government policy. 

This put him in the perfect position to develop Net Zero Week.

Last year, the campaign reached 19.92m business stakeholders. This was delivered by an extensive marketing and communications campaign and the “community spirited” marketing activities of the “dedicated partners,” Coles explained.

Coles’ ambition moving forward over the next few years is to “organically grow the reach of the campaign” and to “put all my lifetime of learnings into this project.” 

The mass reach of the campaign is no fluke. It is the business model of being a not-for-profit and its ability to attract important partners and supporters which has helped give this project “wings”.

During Net Zero Week the webinar agenda aims to “inspire and educate businesses and draw in the wider stakeholders” involved in helping the UK in the net zero transition. 

“I hope this year we will attract more supply chain actors helping the UK transition to net zero,” said Coles.

Infrastructure Intelligence magazine has backed Net Zero Week as a media partner since the early days of the project. 

Many others have followed suit, including HM Government, Innovate UK, World Biogas Association, Nuclear Industry Association, Carbon Capture & Storage Association, and HS2, to mention just some of the 40+ backers.

Net Zero Week is taking place for the third year from the 1-7 July 2023. New partners have joined the noble cause including The Open University, Net Zero Tracker, Conservative Environment Network, and the British Geological Survey.

Get the latest updates here and read more about Net Zero Week in the latest issue of Infrastructure Intelligence magazine.