Heart of the City aims for net zero Square Mile by 2040

Heart of the City is delighted to be featured in Fleet Street Quarter’s (FSQ) Summer 2024 Quarterly publication, with all the latest activity from the FSQ Business Improvement District.

After joining Heart of the City earlier this year, Director, Andy Melia speaks with FSQ to discuss several of the charities upcoming key initiatitves, and how the charity continues to empower London’s small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to make a positive impact.

“Our initiatives, including our work with Places for London, the City of London Corporation, and Minority Business Matters, demonstrate our commitment to integrating responsible and sustainable practices across various sectors” says Andy.

Heart of the City’s Director, Andy Melia speaks with Fleet Street Quarter about the charities upcoming initiatives

Local collaboration for a net zero Square Mile

Heart of the City continues its longstanding collaboration with the City of London Corporation, aiming for a net zero Square Mile by 2040. The partnership leverages local expertise to offer a comprehensive training programme that demystifies the concept of “net zero” for SMEs, providing them with practical steps to measure and plan their environmental impact.

Since launching our Climate for SMEs: 4 Steps to Action course in 2021, we’ve engaged over 200 businesses within the City of London to understand and implement net zero strategies. This initiative has led 53 businesses to measure their carbon footprints and commit to achieving net-zero emissions by 2040, which will result in a collective reduction of 35,500 tonnes of CO2e. Based on the average emission savings achieved so far, we anticipate that all business completing the course will contribute to a total reduction of 80,000 tonnes of CO2e in the Square Mile by 2040.

As our current Climate course concludes in March 2025, our team is working hard to enrol as many City-based SMEs as possible by 6 September 2024. This effort significantly impacts the local and national community by fostering sustainable business practices and working towards achieving Net Zero for the City of London by 2040.

Empowering sustainable business practices

In response to evolving regulations on sustainability, human rights, and equitable working practices, Heart of the City is actively guiding SMEs to adapt and thrive. A notable initiative is a year-long business skills training programme developed in partnership with Transport for London’s property company, Places for London (PfL). This programme, targeting PfL’s SME tenants, focuses on responsible business practices and sustainability, aligning with broader efforts to foster environmentally conscious business environments.