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Episode Description
Eighty per cent of the world's largest companies have a net zero target. Eleven per cent have actually cut emissions. In 2026, that gap stops being a reporting quirk and becomes a legal risk.
How are you managing Scope 3 supplier data right now? We're offering a free sustainability assessment of your top 10 suppliers, giving you a clearer picture of your Scope 3 data and where supplier engagement can improve.
At 51toCarbonZero, we help organisations engage suppliers and build an accurate picture of their value chain, without the manual effort usually needed from you or them.
Worth a 30 minute chat next week? https://calendly.com/51tocarbonzero/substack
Here is the gap that should worry every board. Eighty per cent of the world's largest companies have committed to net zero. Only eleven per cent have reduced their emissions. That space between the promise and the reality is where the trouble now lives, and in 2026 regulators have decided it is no longer something they will tolerate.
By the end of this article you will have three things: what net zero actually means in plain language, why the strategy almost everyone leaned on until last year has become a legal risk, and the six moves that work instead. The sixth is the one most businesses miss, and it is the one that could halve emissions. I have spent twenty five years on this work, so let's get into it.
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I'm Will Richardson, Head of Ecosystems at 51toCarbonZero and a sustainability advisor with 25 years in the field. I founded Green Element in 2004 and spent two decades building it into one of Europe's most respected sustainability consultancies before it merged with 51toCarbonZero in November 2025. Climate action is both an obligation and an opportunity, and that's the thread running through everything I write here. I co-created Compare Your Footprint, carbon accounting software recognised as a key player in the Global Carbon Accounting Software Market, and I'm a Fellow of IEMA and a Chartered Environmentalist. Each week, I break down what's actually happening in sustainability: the data, the regulation, the greenwash worth calling out, and the practical steps businesses can take right now. No jargon, no doom-mongering, just clear thinking for people who need to make real decisions. I also host the Sustainability Solved podcast with Charlie Luxton, 200+ episodes and counting, where we talk to the people building the solutions. Based in Scotland. Writing for business leaders who want sustainability to make commercial sense, not just moral sense.
UPCOMING WEBINAR: The Scope 3 Blind Spot: What Your Supplier Data Isn't Telling You
Scope 3 emissions are often the biggest contributor to an organisation’s carbon footprint, yet many businesses are making decisions based on incomplete, outdated or estimated supplier data. In this webinar, we’ll explore the biggest blind spots in supplier emissions data, why they matter for reporting and decarbonisation, and how leading organisations are moving beyond spreadsheets and assumptions to build a more accurate, scalable approach to Scope 3. LIVE ATTENDANCE BONUS: complimentary gap audit of your top 10 suppliers. Wednesday 16 September | 1pm BST https://www.51tocarbonzero.com/webinar-supply-chain/