Following the announcement of Andy Burnham’s appointment to Prime Minister and the confirmation of his Cabinet, businesses across the UK may be analysing what the political shift will mean for their organisation – from energy and sustainability to the impact of new policy announcements on costs. With businesses facing rising employment costs, weak consumer demand and uncertainty over taxation, Natalie Dunbar, head of net zero services at Consultus Sustainability, warns businesses against falling into a pattern of ‘wait and see’ reactivity.
“For the fifth time in just four years, the UK has a new prime minister. Andy Burnham officially took to 10 Downing Street this week with a message that he would bring the “biggest changes” to politics in 40 years. Among his Cabinet was the appointment of John Healey as Chancellor and Jonathan Reynolds as Secretary for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade.
“However, to a certain extent, it doesn’t matter who is leading the charge. Businesses must build resilience in the face of political transitions, and that starts with limiting the volume on political noise and looking at what’s inside your circle of control.
“A major controllable factor is energy. War in the Middle East and its impact on energy costs was the prime example of how exposed UK businesses really are. But any firm can take back control; by monitoring usage levels, reducing consumption as much as possible, offsetting the rest, and investing in on-site renewable generation. By becoming truly self-sufficient and mitigating against grid overreliance, businesses can not only save money but, most importantly, futureproof themselves against any market shocks caused by political uncertainty.
“Energy is just one example of this – but by understanding all the risks specific to your business and actively mitigating against them, it will remove the possibility that you’ll be left to play catch up during a time of crisis. Considering the current climate and the summer of never-ending heatwaves, it has never been more important to think further ahead about what the climate reality will be for your business in 10-50 years’ time.
“Yet, during periods of political transition, there is often a regrettable instinct for companies to freeze spending on ‘non-essential’ initiatives or bring into question their ESG and net zero strategies. This is a fundamental misunderstanding of what sustainability actually does for a business. It isn’t a regulatory burden or a separate add-on. It needs to be viewed as a core mechanism for financial resilience.
“Whether you are looking to protect your business against volatile energy costs, avoid increasingly strict regulatory penalties or secure better investment terms, sustainability is a proven revenue and efficiency driver. Political landscapes will always shift, but the
commercial necessity of building a resilient, resource-efficient and future-proof business remains absolute. Leaders shouldn’t be waiting for policy to force their hand – they need to be the driving force behind change.”
For more information on Consultus Sustainability, visit: https://consultus-sustainability.co.uk/
ENDS
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Notes to editors
Consultus Sustainability is part of the Consultus Group and specifically works with businesses and their supply chains to plan, prioritise and achieve their carbon neutral goals, and in the process help them to use less energy, reduce costs, better manage risk, and increase their energy security. Our clients include – Weetabix, Radisson Hotel Group, English National Opera, The National Lottery and Maersk.
We focus on supporting businesses with their Net Zero ambitions and goals. We appreciate not all businesses are the same and their Net Zero journeys will be different. Consultus Sustainability can help businesses no matter where they are on their Net Zero journey.