Thirteen businesses are set to benefit from 12 months of Net Zero support thanks to a pathfinder programme funded by Business Gateway Midlothian's Expert Help programme managed by Midlothian Council's Economic Development Service.
Not for profit Net Zero Nation will deliver the project.
The programme will be hosted at social enterprise The Energy Training Academy's renewable skills training centre at Hardengreen, Dalkieth.
The 13 participating organisations have the same important goals of increasing their carbon awareness, and gaining carbon literacy education, as the need to deliver tangible evidence of carbon reduction becomes ever more critical to combat climate change.
They have also committed to Midlothian Green Pledgers, an initiative launched by Midlothian council in 2021 to support businesses in Midlothian begin their net zero journey.
The focus will be on local enablement, peer support and Community Wealth Building as the need to embrace Net Zero escalates.
Alicja Dzieciol, founder of SilviBio said
For us, we want our mission of helping to create a truly sustainable future to be more than just rhetoric. We want it to be grounded in science based targets, and the programme has been fantastic for providing the practical support and tools to really quantify our emissions and commit to having an even stronger positive impact.
Annie Watt, Economic Development Manager (Acting) at Midlothian Council said:
We are delighted to see this project come to fruition and to be able to fund this initiative to help these businesses progress on their Net Zero journeys and we are confident that by coming together as a group of businesses, with purpose and commitment to protecting our planet, that they find this programme enjoyable, informative and transformational for their businesses. We look forward to seeing these businesses prosper as the benefits of reducing their carbon footprint and promoting Net Zero is communicated to their communities, employees and clients.