Join the Green Revolution with the help of the Accelerator programme
15 October 2025
Small and medium sized firms have increased their green growth engagement in the last year, according to the findings of joint research published in October 2025 by East Midlands Chamber and the University of Derby.
Now in its tenth year, the research ‘Green Growth Trends in the East Midlands’ tracks and analyses awareness and engagement with green growth, decarbonisation and the uptake of nature-based solutions (NBS). Since the research began in 2015, engagement in green growth has tripled amongst East Midlands businesses. In the last twelve months alone, take up of decarbonisation – which can be defined as switching from the use of fossil fuels to carbon-free and renewable energy sources – has risen by 2.7% and has been adopted by nearly half (48.1%) of the region’s businesses.
Decarbonisation can take many forms and can often be easily achievable and lead to significant savings on energy bills, including:
- Reducing energy consumption such as better insulation and draft proofing, switching to LED lighting and implementing smart heating controls.
- Switching to renewal energy resources including adopting sustainable transport like electric cars, vans and lorries, and installing solar panels.
- Optimising production processes such as switching to energy-efficient appliances and installing condition monitoring sensors such as vibration and acceleration sensors to catch early signs of deterioration of machinery.
- Minimising waste such as adopting smarter habits including turning lights and appliances off at the mains when not in use, and better heating and lighting management of spaces that are largely unused.
A helping hand is on offer from the Accelerator project to guide businesses through the steps that are needed and the support to get there.
Growth vouchers and fully subsidised energy audits
In Derbyshire, Leicester and Nottingham, growth vouchers of up to £2,000 are on offer for specialist training or consultancy support for businesses that can demonstrate that their sustainability efforts will implement new functionality or processes.
In Nottingham and Leicester as well as in the Derbyshire Dales, fully funded energy audits are also on offer to review a business’s gas, electricity and, if relevant, their vehicle fuel consumption. An energy expert will conduct a site visit to collect information and collate it into an energy savings opportunity report. Once a business has this data, it can start to implement the appropriate changes or use it as supporting evidence for a decarbonisation grant application.
Accelerator sustainability webinars
Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire businesses are invited to join these bite-sized, hour-long webinars on sustainability (hosted between 10am – 11am):
- Decarbonising Culture and Optimising Engagement – 4 November
Most conversations around sustainability and Net Zero focus on decarbonisation of operational activities. This session focuses on how to get the full engagement of your staff and suppliers.
- Managing Climate Anxiety and Denial – 21 November
Following on from the optional ‘Decarbonising Culture and Optimising Engagement’ webinar, this webinar focuses solely on how to identify those employee mindsets that might be blockers to achieving your sustainability goals and the practical steps to provide immediate positive outcomes.
- Energy Saving Lessons from East Midlands Businesses – 21 October
From retail units and offices to hospitality venues and light industrial spaces, we reveal how each of the energy audits undertaken has revealed common challenges and actionable opportunities to reduce energy use and cut costs.
- How to Respond to Increased B2B Requests for your Sustainability Plans – 29 October
This session provides useful tips on how to answer the question “Please describe your organisation’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) commitments?”
- The New Net Zero Standard ISO14060 (IWA42) – The Unifying Belt to all Carbon Standards – 30 October
This webinar will dissect the new ISO 14060 (IWA 42) standard to assess how effective it will be in harmonising global best practices and providing a unified, ISO-backed foundation for carbon neutrality and net zero claims.
- Public Sector Procurement Requirements for Carbon – 6 November
What does carbon and net zero mean for your public sector clients? This webinar will decode the carbon requirements now embedded in public sector procurement, providing a clear, practical guide to understanding what these rules are, why they matter, and how you can effectively respond to them to not only qualify for tenders but also gain a significant competitive advantage.
Get involved
To register your interest in a growth voucher or energy audit, simply select the appropriate Registration Form on the Accelerator landing page or contact our dedicated Business Support line on: 0333 006 9178.
The Accelerator project is funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
