Decarbonisation Strategy of the Year

Celebrating organisations of any size with credible, ambitious and well-evidenced net-zero strategies and roadmaps, supported by demonstrable progress.

The finalists

Boots

Reducing the Impact of our Operations and Products

Boots has rebuilt the way it manages carbon, moving from annual reporting to quarterly tracking through carbon footprinting software with forecasting and scenario modelling. The retailer reports a 13% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions between FY24 and FY25, driven mainly by energy work across its store estate including LED re-lamping. For its value chain, which accounts for most of its footprint, Boots has launched a Scope 3 Carbon Tool giving suppliers guidance and funding routes, and is writing carbon commitments into Joint Business Plans with major suppliers. Near-term and net-zero targets are being finalised for submission to the Science Based Targets initiative.

British Antarctic Survey

Towards Net-Zero

The British Antarctic Survey, part of UK Research and Innovation, is cutting emissions across operations running from Cambridge to Antarctic research stations, where remoteness, weather, safety requirements and short resupply windows constrain what can be changed. Its strategy covers Scope 1, 2 and material Scope 3 emissions across five pillars, overseen by three working groups reporting to a Net Zero Strategy Group. Solar now supplies 30-40% of Cambridge electricity demand and headquarters emissions have fallen 74%. Solar and battery systems have halved annual emissions at Bird Island, and hydropower meets 80% of demand at King Edward Point. Emissions fell 19% last year.

Consilient Health

Decarbonising by Design: Net-Zero Strategy for a Fully Outsourced Pharmaceutical Value Chain

Consilient Health is a mid-sized pharmaceutical company that outsources manufacturing, packaging, testing, storage and distribution, leaving more than 99% of its emissions in Scope 3 and outside its direct control. Regulatory requirements covering marketing authorisations, stability and batch release narrow the options further. Its strategy therefore rests on governance, supplier engagement and logistics redesign rather than asset upgrades, with targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative. Total market-based emissions fell 44% in 2024, from 8,295 to 4,655 tCO2e, and upstream transport and distribution fell 94%.

Interface

All In

Interface, a modular flooring manufacturer, has stopped using carbon offsets and now pursues its 2040 carbon-negative goal through direct emissions reduction and carbon storage alone. Recycled and bio-based inputs account for around 51% of materials, and the company reports a 42% cut in Scope 3 emissions from purchased goods and services against a 2019 baseline. Product footprints have fallen 40% for carpet tile, 45% for luxury vinyl tile and other resilient flooring, and 24% for rubber over the same period. Factories run on 79% renewable energy, and the ReEntry take-back scheme collected 11.7 million pounds of post-consumer carpet in 2025.

NatWest Group

Project Planet

NatWest Group's Project Planet pairs operational emissions cuts with work to improve the quality of its supply chain data. A multi-year LED retrofit across the bank's property portfolio has reduced electricity demand by an average of 62%, saving 7.6GWh a year, while optimisation of building management systems at more than 20 large offices has delivered cumulative savings of 31GWh. Low-energy air curtains installed across 14 branches cut energy use by over 90%. Two corporate power purchase agreements supply 100GWh of solar electricity annually. For Scope 3, NatWest has increased its use of supplier-specific emissions data, reducing reliance on industry averages.

RELX

Data-Driven Net Zero Transformation

RELX, the information and analytics group, has cut Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 87% since 2010 through a switch to renewable electricity across its global operations, building efficiency improvements and reduced fuel use. The company holds targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative and aligned to a 1.5C pathway, with net-zero committed for 2040. An internal carbon price, currently $60 per tonne of CO2, shapes investment decisions, while a CO2 Hub gives staff visibility of emissions data down to individual level. Governance runs through a Carbon Governance Group, with the chief financial officer acting as chief environmental champion.