- £3.9m was recovered through reducing energy waste alone across just seven major operators, averaging £3,600 per site, according to Zero Carbon Services
- After the recent budget, costs are expected to soar for pubs, restaurants and hotels according to UKH
- Zero Carbon Services urges hospitality businesses to combat rising costs through climate action
In light of the new budget and carbon commitments from the UK government, Zero Carbon Services who specialise in working with hospitality operators to reach net zero, are urging business to leverage climate action to reduce rising costs.
UKH forecasts the cut to business rates relief will cost the hospitality sector £500m.
Meanwhile, the cost of employing a full-time worker is forecast to increase by at least £2,500 per employee, costing £1.9 billion across the sector, due to rises in Employer National Insurance Contributions and the National Living Wage (UKH).
To avoid customer price increases and maintain the sector average margin of 5%, businesses would need to generate an additional £20,000 in revenue for every £1,000 taxed, an unsustainable challenge for many operators.
Meanwhile, CGA’s recent data on climate change impacts showed that UK hospitality sales were 25.7% lower due to heavy rain and 8.2% lower due to extreme heat on like-for-like days between 2022 and 2023.
Zero Carbon Services is encouraging operators to unlock cost-cutting opportunities through climate action. By reducing energy waste alone, Zero Carbon Services has helped seven leading operators save a combined £3.9 million—an average of £3,600 per site.
“The budget and the impacts of climate change are increasing cost pressures on the sector. The work we’re doing with our clients to take credible climate action, from energy saving to ingredient switches and waste reduction, can mitigate the impacts by cutting carbon and costs” said Mark Chapman, CEO of Zero Carbon Services. “This proves that sustainability isn’t just good for the planet – it’s good for business.”
Growing Momentum for Climate Action in Hospitality
Zero Carbon Services works alongside the Zero Carbon Forum, a not-for-profit representing one-third of the hospitality sector, to demonstrate how climate action can unlock cost-saving opportunities while building resilience and enhancing brands.
Over the last 12 months, Zero Carbon Forum has welcomed 21 new members. This brings the total membership to 74 and represents 35,000 sites.
Mark continues, “These numbers show that the hospitality sector is stepping up to lead on climate action and the growing momentum highlights a clear shift in the industry. Sustainability is no longer just a moral imperative—it’s a business priority. Together, we’re proving that embedding carbon reduction measures not only addresses compliance but also drives cost savings and builds resilience.”
Zero Carbon Services and Zero Carbon Forum are encouraging hospitality businesses to join the growing number of operators embedding carbon reduction measures into their operations.
By adopting climate action plans and collaborating with the sector, businesses can cut costs, enhance brand resilience, and prepare for future compliance requirements.
Some of the members who have joined the Zero Carbon forum over the last 12 months include Red Engine, The Tollemarche Arms, Mission Kitchen, Wells & Co, Family Adventures Group, Faber, Gipsy Hill Brewing, Best Western, Thornbridge Brewery, Flat Iron, Rosa’s Thai, Popeyes, National Trust, Hollywood Bowl, F1 Arcade, Colicci and Stewart Brewing.
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About Zero Carbon Services
Zero Carbon Services are the UK hospitality industry’s leading net-zero advisors, accelerating progress and helping operators across the sector to decarbonise and build sustainable business models.
As hospitality specialists, the company prioritises quality service and a tailored approach focused on each client’s unique needs.
Working closely with the non-profit sister company, Zero Carbon Forum, Zero Carbon Services offers end-to-end support through a range of services designed to help operators calculate and track your carbon emissions, and help them grow, thrive, and build resilience.
About Zero Carbon Forum
The Zero Carbon Forum is a not-for-profit that provides the UK hospitality and brewing industry with a productive and action-oriented way to collaborate on their sustainability challenges, within their companies and across their supply chains.
The forum is supported by UKH, BBPI and BII, and a third of the UK hospitality and brewing industry are members. The forum allows operators to learn from each other, raise their ambition levels, and tackle the bigger challenges together.
Our Measure-Plan-Reduce-Comply framework helps members measure their emissions, get a plan of reduction actions to deliver individually and collectively, and to comply with investor and stakeholder expectations. They can view industry benchmarks to see how well they are performing against others, and we can uncover and collectively act on the challenges that the wider sector faces, for example, supply chain engagement and food innovation.
The forum has won various FoodService Footprint Awards in 2022, 2023 and 2024 for stakeholder engagement and energy efficiency initiatives.
For a Word version of the press release and accompanying assets, please go to this file: Zero Carbon Press
Media Contact: Nicola Evans, nicola@zerocarboncompany.org
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