Climate action is no longer just good practice. It’s becoming a business necessity. By working towards net zero, your business can reduce costs, unlock new opportunities, strengthen resilience and stay competitive in a market that increasingly values sustainable practices.
Why join
What you'll achieve
Make a practical start on climate action
You don’t need a large team or a big budget to start taking climate action. The Net Zero Accelerator is designed to help you understand your emissions and take practical steps towards reducing them.
Measure your carbon footprint
Understand what information you need to collect and use our tools to calculate a baseline for your business.
Understand your emissions
Build your understanding of where your emissions come from and where you may be able to make a difference.
Create a practical action plan
Identify realistic next steps and prioritise actions that fit your business and its objectives.
How does the programme work?
The Net Zero Accelerator runs over three months and is next scheduled for January to March 2027.
The programme includes four expert-led workshops, free online resources and the opportunity to access one-to-one support by email or call.
Workshop recordings, tools and resources will be available through our private Thinkific learning platform during the three-month programme, so you can revisit the guidance as you work through your carbon footprint and action plan.
The workshops are led by Katie Rogers, Heart of the City’s climate expert, who manages the delivery of our climate action programmes. Katie has a postgraduate degree in Global Environment Politics and Society and experience speaking on carbon measurement and SMEs’ journeys to net zero.
The programme is fully sponsored for eligible SME tenants and suppliers of the City of London Corporation as part of its Climate Action Strategy.
What is covered in each workshop?
Workshop 1: Introduction to net zero
Explore what net zero means, why it matters to your business and how to calculate your first baseline carbon footprint.
We’ll explain what data you need to collect and how to use our calculators to turn that data into emissions figures.
Workshop 2: Carbon footprint measurement support
Build confidence in your data and develop a clearer understanding of your emissions.
We’ll help you work through common questions about data collection and use our checklist and resources to support the process.
Workshop 3: Developing your net zero action plan
Use your baseline carbon footprint to identify practical next steps.
With guidance from our climate expert, you’ll consider achievable goals and prioritise actions that make sense for your business.
Workshop 4: Next steps on your net zero journey
Review your progress, consider how to put your action plan into practice and explore next steps.
You’ll also have the opportunity to ask our climate expert questions about your carbon footprint data and action plan before the programme concludes.
Our impact
Since launching our climate action and net zero programmes in 2021, Heart of the City has supported more than 400 SMEs to take action on climate change.
Across the participating businesses measured in our programme data, 60% have measured their carbon footprint and begun their net zero journey. Their plans have the potential to collectively reduce more than 186,000 tonnes of CO₂e.
If you’d like to know more, have a look at our case studies
Are you eligible for a fully sponsored place?
Thanks to funding from the City of London Corporation, your business may be eligible for a fully sponsored place if it is:
- An SME supplier of the City of London Corporation.
- An SME tenant of the City of London Corporation.
If your business isn’t eligible for a place on the programme but you’d like to get started on your net zero journey, explore our free Climate Action Toolkit.
Ready to start your net zero journey?
Apply now for the Net Zero Accelerator programme.
The application form takes approximately 5 minutes to complete.
Once submitted, our team will review your application and be in touch shortly with the outcome.
Applications close on Friday 18 December 2026.
For any queries, please contact us at info@theheartofthecity.com.
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