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StepZero Blog

Straight-talking guides
for UK organisation leaders.

Evidence-led articles on certifications, energy, finance, and more. No jargon. No moralising. Just what you need to act.

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B Corp V2.1: What Changed in April 2025 and What UK SMEs Must Do DifferentlyThe UK Procurement Act Just Changed. Here's What Every SME Supplier Needs to Know.

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Certifications

The Certification Comparison Nobody Has Actually Done for UK SMEs

B Corp vs PlanetMark vs ISO 14001 vs EcoVadis - verified costs, timelines, and what each badge actually signals

Every sustainability certification promises to transform your business. None of them explains what the others do - or why you might choose one over another. This is the comparison that should already exist: a verified, side-by-side analysis of B Corp, PlanetMark, ISO 14001, and EcoVadis, built for UK SME owners who need to make a real commercial decision.

14 min readJun 2025
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Certifications

ESOS Explained: The UK Energy Audit Scheme, and Why Smaller Businesses Still Care

The Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme, usually shortened to ESOS, is a UK government scheme that forces large organisations to audit their energy use every four years. Most SMEs fall below the thresholds and do not legally qualify. Many still choose to follow the same approach, because a structured energy audit is one of the clearest ways to find savings and build a credible carbon story. This guide covers who qualifies, what Phase 4 actually requires, and how smaller businesses can use the same method without the compliance overhead.

6 min·Apr 2026
Certifications

Carbon Neutral Certification: What the Claim Actually Means in 2026

Carbon neutral is one of the most used and most scrutinised claims in sustainability. The UK standard PAS 2060 was retired at the end of 2025 and the international standard ISO 14068-1:2023 is the successor for carbon neutrality claims, setting a higher bar for the reduction and residual offset work behind any claim. At the same time, UK regulators have sharpened enforcement against misleading environmental claims. This guide covers what carbon neutral now means, how it differs from net zero, what a credible claim requires, the current regulatory risk picture, and how StepZero actions feed the underlying evidence.

7 min·Apr 2026
Certifications

Zero Waste Certification: What It Means for a UK SME

Zero Waste is a principle before it is a certificate. The core idea is simple: divert as much operational waste from landfill and incineration as possible, ideally 90% or more, by redesigning how materials flow through your business. Several certification bodies verify this claim in different ways. This guide explains the main schemes UK SMEs encounter, what they actually assess, and how to build the evidence trail that any of them will need.

6 min·Apr 2026
Certifications

Investors in People: A UK SME Guide to the Accreditation

Investors in People (IIP) is a people-management standard that started in the UK in 1991 and is now used in more than 50 countries. Unlike certifications focused on environmental impact or pay, IIP assesses how well your business leads, supports and develops the people who work in it. Accreditation runs on a three-year cycle with four levels: Standard, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. This guide explains what the framework covers, how assessment works, what it costs, and how the people practices you document inside StepZero feed into it.

6 min·Apr 2026

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