SMALLER FOOTPRINT

Trust calls on firms to be ‘carbon literate"

THE Carbon Trust wants businesses to go “back to school” to learn how to be “carbon literate” and learn how to reduce their energy usage.The call came as the latest figures from the trust for Scotland suggest it has saved Scottish businesses and the public sector £29 million in the past year and reduced emissions by a not to be sniffed at 277,000 tonnes.The Scottish arm of the trust said some 60 per cent of the savings had been made by businesses, with more than half of its clients being small and medium-sized enterprises.Across the UK, the trust said it had helped businesses save £1 billion in energy costs and cut emissions by 17 million tonnes since it was created in 2001. The trust said technology, such as biomass heat and marine energy projects, could save between 16.2 million and 23.3 million tonnes of carbon over the next decade.Tom Delay, chief executive of the Carbon Trust, said: “We believe a move to a low-carbon world represents a vast commercial opportunity for businesses. With energy prices continuing to rise, the need for business to become ‘carbon literate’ is ever greater.” Classes begin on the trust’s website at www.carbontrust.co.uk