Introducing Netting Zeros, a podcast about SMEs decarbonising the UK
Welcome to Netting Zeros, a new podcast and media platform on Spotify and Apple podcasts for people working in or seeking to enter the business of climate and decarbonisation. We are host Nate Maynard 馬耐德, myself (story editor David Green), research assistant Rosie Grundy, production assistant Allissa Tai, and social media coordinator Daniella Romano backed up by a support network of partners and friends willing to give us their help while we get things off the ground – thank you to illustrator Tom Sears in particular!
Image credit: Tom Sears
Netting Zeros was conceived in spring 2023 in what seems like a bygone era: Boris Johnson’s 10-point plan for a green industrial revolution was still a thing and the UK was still viewed as a global pioneer (in Net-Zero target setting at least). Nate was newly arrived in the UK and seeing things with fresh, innocent eyes: “How could the country be so beholden to the fossil fuel lobby? Is your government really still subsidising Drax? Why can’t I find a decent environmental meet-up in London?” Questions, questions.
Fast-forward 12 months and the UK’s environmental policy is in flux, but we think there’s space for our podcast, and more importantly, the people and enterprises innovating at the business end of Net Zero. Netting Zeros focuses on small-and-medium-sized companies (SMEs) as they constitute the vast majority of UK private sector businesses (99.9% in 2023), and there’s a correspondingly high chance you will end up working for one.
We also felt that while multiple podcasts advise businesses on achieving Net Zero, few were sharing stories from the, er, coalface of making Net Zero ambition a reality, and fewer still in Nate’s inimitable, engaging style. His experience as co-creator of the Waste Not Why Not? climate podcast (shout out to Ghost Island Media 鬼島之音) and my background as a journalist seemed a natural fit – we’d worked together as environment correspondent and editor at Taiwanese digital media outlet The News Lens 關鍵評論網, where Nate’s infectious environmental passion snagged me like non-degradable bioplastic.
There should be plenty to talk about: just last month, an Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit and CBI Economics report indicated that the UK’s Net Zero economy grew by 9% in 2023, contributing some £74bn in goods and services and 765,000 jobs to the wider economy. Looking forward, the Climate Change Committee (CCC) has estimated that the Net Zero transition offers potential for between 135,000 and 725,000 net new jobs in low-carbon sectors in sectors such as buildings retrofit, renewable energy generation and electric vehicles (EVs).
With that (surely conservative?) CCC estimate in mind, we aim to become the go-to media for cleantech professionals and those seeking to start a career in countering the climate emergency. Each week, we’ll drop a new podcast episode exploring the Net Zero challenge through the eyes of one entrepreneur, investor or policymaker engaged in the SME ecosystem. We’ll do our best to support those stories with additional content on our Linkedin and this Substack, where you’ll also find show notes and episode transcripts.
There's only one Planet A
Our journey starts in Cornwall, the home of inaugural Netting Zeros sponsor Planet A Solutions CIC, a Community Interest Company that blends architectural and engineering expertise to help clients integrate renewable energy solutions. Late last year, Planet A co-founders Amanda Forman and David Parish invited us to start our journey at their offices in Truro, so we jumped on a train and did just that.
Image credit: Nate Maynard
We hope you’ll enjoy listening along as we root around renewables in Cornwall – the first episode drops on Tuesday April 9. If you have any feedback, thoughts or questions, ideas for topics or people we should cover as the podcast evolves, please drop us a line. We have a few ideas, but would love to hear yours, too.