By Sally Saunders, Business Manager, See Media
When we signed up to the Net Zero Carbon pledge, we knew we didn’t want to treat it as a one-off milestone or a badge to add to our website. For us, it had to become part of how we work, how we make decisions and how we stay accountable as a small business.
Here we share where we are on that journey, what progress we have made and some of the practical steps that may help other organisations – particularly smaller businesses – take meaningful action in support of net zero carbon.
Our net zero approach
See Media formally achieved net zero carbon status in 2024, a year ahead of our original target. Our 2023–24 assessment put our total carbon footprint at approximately 20.9 tonnes of CO2 per year, mainly from homeworking energy use (as a fully remote business)and essential travel, all within Scope 3 emissions.
That gave us a clear starting point. While our footprint was within the typical range for a UK SME, we wanted to go further than simply measuring and offsetting. Our approach is based on three linked priorities: reduce what we can, make informed choices where emissions cannot yet be avoided, and report openly on our progress.
The net zero journey (so far)
Since reaching net zero carbon status, our focus has shifted from achieving the target to maintaining momentum. We continue to reduce emissions through energy-efficient homeworking, a public-transport-first approach, careful planning for meetings and a preference for sustainable suppliers and digital ways of working.
Alongside reduction, mitigation remains part of our approach. In 2024, we launched the See Media forest through Tree-Nation and have continued to grow it each year with annual planting and reseeding activity – already, 104 trees have been planted through visits to our website, helping to make our website fully carbon neutral.
We are also introducing a live tree-planting counter to our website to make progress more visible. Our Offset Website Label was also renewed earlier this year, supporting our annual mitigation plan and providing transparent assurance of our approach.
Ongoing reductions and offsetting mean we continue to operate as a net zero carbon business today. And importantly, the process has helped us build better habits across the team and make climate impact a regular part of business planning.
Sharing our learning
For smaller organisations, net zero can feel overwhelming and difficult to translate into day-to-day action. The language can be technical, the reporting requirements can seem complex and capacity is often limited. But practical progress is possible when the approach is clear and built around the way the organisation already works.
Here are some steps we have found most useful for a smaller business starting or strengthening its net zero journey
- Start by measuring, not guessing.
Before setting targets, understand where emissions are coming from. For office-based and hybrid organisations, this may include homeworking energy use, travel, purchased goods and services, digital activity and supplier choices. A simple baseline is useful. - Focus on decisions you can influence now.
Net zero plans can stall if they are too broad. Look first at practical changes within your control, such as reducing unnecessary travel, switching to renewable energy tariffs, improving equipment efficiency, reducing waste or reviewing supplier sustainability credentials. - Make it part of normal business planning.
Climate action is easier to sustain when it is linked to existing processes, rather than treated as a separate project. Build it into travel policies, procurement decisions, team meetings and annual reviews so progress becomes routine. - Be transparent about what you can and cannot do yet.
Credibility matters. It is better to be clear about your baseline, your achievements and your next steps than to overclaim. Your journey should be communicated honestly. - Bring people with you.
Progress depends on everyday choices. Make the plan visible, explain why it matters, and give colleagues simple actions they can take. In our experience, small changes across a whole team can create a stronger culture of accountability.
Our focus for the year ahead
Net zero is an ongoing commitment and over the year ahead, we will continue to monitor our footprint, strengthen reduction activity, grow the See Media forest and share what we learn along the way.
If you are a smaller organisation working through your own net zero commitments, we would be happy to share what we have learned and support practical approaches.
Whether you need support shaping a sustainability story, communicating progress clearly, or building confidence around your next steps, get in touch at hello@see-media.co.uk
