Businesses across the North have long been encouraged to reach the green goals that have been so heavily emphasised by the government and public over the last decade or so. In 2025 and 2026, efforts have seemed to ramp up in the form of new schemes and grants.
Some schemes previously announced across the North include the Race to Zero scheme and its grants, as well as Enterprise Cheshire and Warrington, which aimed to support more clean energy jobs. Schemes like this have come together to form a real push for net zero in the county. It’s a strong move for local businesses to get in on, especially given how customer preferences sit right now.
Developing the North’s Green Energy Scene
Source: Pexels
Aiming to help local businesses to cut their carbon emissions as much as possible, a specialist scheme of support and grant funding is well underway in areas like Cheshire. Delivered by Groundwork alongside Chester Council and Cheshire West, businesses can join the Race to Zero scheme to get a boost from a great many services.
Generally speaking, these can help a business with energy audits to show where they can cut their carbon emissions, get further advice on decarbonisation, and get match-funded grants. The Race to Zero scheme has already helped over 130 businesses to become greener, with nearly 70 getting a cut of £780,000 so far.
Bolstering the ability to tap into green energy and decarbonised options, more money is being pumped into upskilling workers to be able to work in the green energy sector.
Meeting Customer Demands in All Arenas
Source: Pixabay
Especially for local businesses, it’s important to follow customer trends and preferences and then explore how to expand into that space to become even more competitive. We’ve seen, and continue to see, this take place online. Before taking to the internet, online bingo sites, for instance, offered online bingo rooms and sometimes some slots. Then, further down the line, sites sought innovation in order to stand out, eventually inventing a new section of online bingo games known as Slingo, combining the two popular games. This tapped into existing customer trends and spurred a whole new one.
Going green, shifting business to the internet can help to achieve a similar bandwagoning effect, but going further and advertising the shift to more eco-friendly practices should equally be sought.
After all, YouGov surveys found that 60 per cent of Brits see climate change as civilisation’s greatest threat, while 21 per cent are willing to invest more in sustainable products. Local businesses therefore need to be trendsetters in their own right, and not just blind followers, in order to not get lost in the mass movement.
Net Zero, on its own, has been seen as a necessary pursuit for any business in the North. As an extra incentive, though, customers want to back businesses that are becoming green, and there are now programmes ready to support the transition, from offering advice to matching investments through grants.
