Aligning with our core value of protecting the planet, and our Journey to Net Zero targets, we hosted Building Services Maintenance‘s first “Carbon Down, Profits Up” seminar at the Group’s London Headquarters on 22nd October 2025.
The event brought together suppliers, partners, and colleagues to talk openly about sustainability, carbon reporting, and how we can all make progress towards net zero. The goal was to show that lowering carbon doesn’t have to be complicated, and that when we work together, everyone benefits.
Understanding Net Zero
Many small businesses want to reduce their emissions but aren’t sure where to start. In fact, according to The Federation of Small Businesses, only 25% expect to reach net zero by 2025.
Recognising this challenge, Group Sustainability Manager Alice Kilner and Bid Coordinator Emma Calow hosted a practical session explaining what net zero really means and how to measure it.
Together, we explored the three scopes under the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Protocol, drawing on insights from our ongoing collaboration with Normative. Using examples from our own data journey, we showed how businesses can begin identifying and calculating their Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. Attendees also learned how to convert raw data, such as vehicle mileage or energy use, into CO₂e using free UK Government conversion tools.
Why Supply Chain Collaboration Matters
With around 90% of the Gratte Brothers Group’s carbon footprint linked to its supply chain, GBBSM recognises that collaboration is essential to achieving its environmental objectives.
The seminar highlighted that success in carbon reduction relies not only on internal action but also on partnership, transparency, and shared progress across the built environment.
During the session, we encouraged suppliers to complete our Supplier Emissions Survey, which helps us map the carbon impact of our wider network. This data will be analysed in partnership with carbon calculation platform, Normative, to build a more accurate picture of the Group’s collective carbon footprint and identify opportunities for joint reduction initiatives.
We also discussed how sustainability isn’t just good for the planet, it’s good for business. Understanding and sharing your data helps future-proof your company by aligning with growing client expectations around sustainability performance. Many public and private sector tenders now require carbon reporting as part of pre-qualification or evaluation criteria, so being transparent about emissions can strengthen bids and open new opportunities.
Practical Tools
To support continued progress, each attendee received a resource pack containing:
- A recap of Scopes 1, 2 and 3 definitions.
- Links to free carbon calculators and learning resources tailored for UK SMEs.
- Access to the GBBSM Supplier Survey and supporting materials.
In partnership with Ecologi, Gratte Brothers | Building Services Maintenance also funded the planting of one native tree in the Scottish Highlands for every participant, as a symbolic reminder of what collective environmental action can achieve.
Looking Ahead
The Carbon Down, Profits Up seminar showed what’s possible when we share ideas and work towards a common goal.
As Alice Kilner, Group Sustainability Manager, summed up:
“It’s not a big, scary topic to deal with in your business, particularly when you break it down into those easy wins.”
By focusing on small, practical steps, we’re helping our supply chain partners take meaningful action, while continuing our own Journey to Net Zero by 2050.
🎥 Watch the Video
See highlights and reflections from the event in our full recap video below.
🔗 Download a copy of the transcript for Making Net Zero Simple: Insights from Building Services Maintenances’ Sustainability Summit
Expand Transcript: Making Net Zero Simple: Insights from Building Services Maintenance’s Sustainability Summit
Accessibility note: This transcript includes all spoken content and meaningful audio from the video. Visual content consists of head-and-shoulders interview shots and event footage that do not convey additional information beyond the audio.
[Upbeat background music playing]
Barney Whiting, Managing Director, Gratte Brothers | Building Services Maintenance:
Today was driven really by the growing need by our client base to drive carbon counting and reporting, and this was an attempt to demystify and simplify and demonstrate that the process is actually relatively straightforward and very doable.
Emma Calow, Bid Coordinator, Gratte Brothers | Building Services Maintenance:
So, we really wanted to engage our supply-chain on the subject of net-zero because it’s a really complicated topic, there’s a lot of jargon…
Alice Kilner, Sustainability Manager, Gratte Brothers Group:
…yeah, and because 98% of our emissions on average sit within that supply chain, it’s really important for us that they understand what we’re asking for when we’re asking for them to send us data or information about what they’re doing with sustainability and net zero. It’s not fair for us to just ask that and give no information about what that actually means.
Graeme Stevens, Sales Director, PH Water & Air:
I thought it was really interesting. I thought Emma and Alice presented really well. It was really good to come together with other businesses who’ve all got different challenges.
Daniel Beauchamp, Co Director, Beauchamp & Bird Ltd:
It was very informative, it was quite good to learn about the scope 1 and scope 2 and how easy it was to do that.
Toby Douse, Technical Sales Manager, PH Water & Air:
It was the different scopes for me. Genuinely, I’ve never heard of that before. So, for me, it was really good to learn. I may have sort of dug myself in and given myself an extra job to do now! I’m glad I’ve done it because now I know about it.
Emma Calow:
They took away a toolkit of resources as well. So, we gave them lots of directional, free, sources of information. So you don’t necessarily need to spend lots of money on a carbon account, and you could actually calculate things for free.
Liam Hargate, Branch Manager, Coyles Personnel:
It was good to engage with a lot of likeminded people. See some of the smaller businesses looking at how they’re going to now engage with becoming carbon neutral and also seeing how much of a difference that’s going to make longer term.
Barney Whiting:
When we deliver to our clients, our supply chain is indispensable in supporting us in our endeavours. We cannot provide our services without the support of our value chain.
James Bewick, Graduate Environmental Advisor, Gratte Brothers Group:
If you really want to be on top of your data, knowing where your emissions are coming from, you’ve really got to talk to people and get engaged with people and this is the best way to do that.
Alice Kilner:
I hope they took away that it’s not a big, scary point of conversation. It’s not a big scary topic to deal with in your business, particularly when you break it down into those easy wins. So those easy wins are measuring your emissions from your fleet, or from your building energy use. That’s really simple, and it’s a really good starting point.