Midlothian - A Great, Green Place to Grow
Midlothian Council wants to support and encourage businesses to play a part in operating in an environmentally friendly way.
In 2023 Midlothian Council launched the Carbon Charter for Midlothian Businesses. We want to help you become more energy and carbon efficient and realise financial savings. We also want to recognise and celebrate green business achievements.
The Business Benefits to Being Green
In these challenging times, reducing your costs can preserve and increase your bottom-line profit even if your sales are stagnant.
The smaller your net profit margin, the greater the impact your cost reduction becomes, which makes cutting costs on energy and resources a crucial aspect of making your business competitive whilst benefitting the environment.
For a company with a 5% profit margin over 3 years, a £500-a-year saving from energy efficiency makes the same profit as £30,000 of extra sales. (SME Guide to Energy Efficiency)
Midlothian Council’s Climate Change Declaration
Midlothian Council has pledged to work towards reducing the factors contributing to climate change. The Council aims to achieve Net Zero carbon and greenhouse gas emissions by 2045.
Net-zero refers to balancing the amount of emitted greenhouse gases with the equivalent emissions either offset or captured. The science of climate change recognises human activities as the main cause.
Climate Change Emergency is also reflected in the The Midlothian Strategy for Inclusive Economic Growth 2025–2030 as a critical area for economic growth.
Midlothian Climate Change Strategy
Midlothian Council aims to lead by example and has developed a Climate Change strategy.
This strategy outlines the challenges and provides an action plan to achieve targets and contribute to a net zero position.
Vision
To become an earth friendly Council, resource aware and committed to work in partnership with others to achieve Scotland’s net zero carbon ambition by 2045 and ensure that our actions today assist future generations to create a resilient and more sustainable future in Midlothian.
To support Scotland’s ambition to combat climate change and establish the transformational organisational and individual changes that are necessary to make the transition to a low carbon economy and ensure that Midlothian remains a “great, green place to grow” for future generations.
To transform the way we think about and manage resources to achieve a zero carbon future for the generations to follow and provide them with a sustainable future in Midlothian.
Objectives
- To make a commitment to stop contributing to climate change;
- To raise awareness about the impacts and risks from a changing climate;
- To take a ‘One Council’ approach to reducing carbon emissions and putting this objective at the heart of our organisational activities, processes and decisions;
- To encourage people, businesses and communities to make a climate change commitment;
- To lead by example and provide climate change leadership to our partners, communities and businesses;
- To develop our resilience and ability to adapt to the impacts and risks of a changing climate;
- To monitor and publicly report our climate change progress.
The Council is in the process of updating the existing Climate Strategy. The Strategy update will embed action programming reflecting significant cross-service, cross-sector partnership working both already in play and planned.
How you can help us, and we can help you
Midlothian businesses can play a significant role in reducing damaging carbon and greenhouse gas emissions. What’s more, it makes good business sense: reducing overhead costs, maintaining competitiveness, and aligning with and spreading the climate change message while boosting environmental credentials. ‘Climate Change Aware’ consumers also have significant buying power.
The following are key activities which will help your business to cut energy use, and costs.
There are a number of business support agencies who can help you develop plans to reduce emissions and become a greener business.
Below are a few agencies who can help you achieve your environmental goals:
| Organisation | Area of Activity |
|---|---|
| Business Energy Scotland | Business Energy Scotland is funded by the Scottish Government to provide free, impartial support and access to funding to help small and medium-sized enterprises save energy, carbon and money. |
| Bright Green Business | Offers a unique range of services to help improve sustainable practices in businesses across Scotland. |
| Carbon Literacy Project | The Carbon Literacy Project is a charitable organisation that helps to facilitate the design and delivery of Carbon Literacy courses in places of work, education, and the community. |
| Carbon Trust | The Carbon Trust looks at current and future sustainability challenges and works with business and organisations to develop sustainable strategies to deliver savings. |
| edie | A website and free business newsletter that empowers businesses to make sustainability and energy an integral part of their business strategies. |
| Energy Savings Trust | The Energy Savings Trust supports businesses with energy efficiency strategies, research, assurance and communications, enabling them to play their part in building a sustainable future. |
| Greenhouse Gas Protocol | Greenhouse Gas Protocol provides standards, guidance, tools and training for business and government to measure and manage climate-warming emissions. |
| Midlothian Council – Active Travel Strategy | The purpose of this strategy is to provide a framework of objectives for investment, to identify the improvements required to deliver a comprehensive and well-connected network and to guide future active travel infrastructure and promotional initiatives. |
| Midlothian Council – Waste Aware Team | The Waste Aware Officer is available to provide a wide range of advice, guidance and support on waste, waste minimisation and recycling. |
| Netregs | Netregs provides free environmental guidance for small and medium-sized businesses throughout Northern Ireland and Scotland. |
| United Nations – ActNow Challenge | ActNow is the United Nations’ global call to individual action on climate change. The campaign is a critical part of the UN’s coordinated effort to raise awareness, ambition, and action for climate change and accelerate implementation of the Paris Agreement. |
| VIBES - Scottish Environment Business Awards | The VIBES - Scottish Environment Business Awards aim to encourage the efficient use of resources, enhance the competitiveness of businesses, improve environmental performance and support the wider goals of sustainable development including social benefits through community and staff involvement. |
