Terms of Service

3.1 Creating an account

To use certain features, you must create an account. When you do, you agree to:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete information
• Keep your account details up to date
• Keep your password secure and confidential
• Notify us immediately of any unauthorised access to your account

3.2 Account responsibility

You are responsible for all activity under your account. We are not liable for any loss arising from unauthorised use of your account where you have failed to keep your credentials secure.

3.3 Account termination

You may delete your account at any time through your account settings or by contacting us. We may suspend or terminate your account if you breach these Terms.

4.1 General prohibitions

You agree not to:

• Use the Service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable laws or regulations
• Impersonate another person or entity, or misrepresent your identity or affiliation
• Use the Service to send spam, unsolicited communications, or engage in any form of harassment
• Upload or transmit malicious code, viruses, trojans, worms, or any other harmful software or content
• Use the Service to collect or harvest personal data about other users without their consent

See our Acceptable Use Policy for further details.

4.2 Security and system integrity

The integrity and security of the Service are fundamental to its operation. You must not, and must not permit or assist any third party to:

• Reverse-engineer, decompile, disassemble, or attempt to derive the source code of the Service, any underlying algorithms, models, or software components, by any means.
• Probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of the Service, its infrastructure, or any related system or network without our prior written authorisation.
• Circumvent, disable, or interfere with any authentication mechanism, access control, rate limit, security feature, or other protective measure implemented in the Service.
• Conduct or facilitate denial-of-service (DoS) or distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against the Service or any infrastructure supporting it.
• Exploit any bug, vulnerability, or error in the Service for any purpose, including gaining unauthorised access, extracting data, or disrupting operation.
• Access the Service through automated means (bots, crawlers, scrapers, scripts) beyond what is expressly permitted by us in writing.
• Extract, mirror, or systematically download content or data from the Service, including the action library, knowledge hub content, or any proprietary datasets.
• Use the Service to develop, train, or improve a competing product or service, including using outputs from the Service as training data for any AI or machine learning system.

These prohibitions apply regardless of your intent or the means used. Violations may constitute criminal offences under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 in addition to civil liability under these Terms. We will report credible criminal activity to the relevant authorities.

Responsible disclosure: if you discover a genuine security vulnerability in the Service, we ask that you report it to us responsibly at security@stepzero.eco before disclosing it publicly. We will investigate all reports promptly. Reporting a vulnerability in good faith and in accordance with this policy will not result in enforcement action against you.

5.1 Our content

All content on the Service, including text, graphics, logos, icons, images, action descriptions, knowledge articles, and software, is owned by or licensed to StepZero and protected by UK and international intellectual property laws.

You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, or create derivative works from our content without our prior written consent.

5.2 Your content

You retain ownership of any data you submit to the Service (such as business profile information). By submitting content, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to use, store, and process that content solely for the purpose of providing and improving the Service.

5.3 Feedback

Any feedback, suggestions, or ideas you provide about the Service may be used by us without obligation to you.

5.4 Brand and trademark use

The StepZero name, logo, wordmark, and associated brand elements are our trademarks or trade dress. You must not, without our prior written approval:

• Use the StepZero name, logo, or any confusingly similar mark in any marketing materials, press releases, website content, social media, or advertising.
• Represent, suggest, or imply that your business, products, or services are endorsed, verified, certified, or approved by StepZero.
• Describe yourself as a partner, affiliate, or representative of StepZero.
• Reproduce, republish, or cite specific outputs from the Service (including action descriptions, estimates, carbon figures, or plan content) in tenders, investor presentations, grant applications, press materials, or any third-party publication, in a manner that implies StepZero has reviewed, endorsed, or validated those outputs for that specific purpose.
• Use StepZero's name or platform outputs as a credential or quality mark without our written consent.

Requests for brand use approval or partnership references should be directed to hello@stepzero.eco. Approval, if granted, will specify the permitted scope and duration of use and may be withdrawn at any time. Any approved use that misrepresents our relationship or the nature of the Service is grounds for immediate revocation.

7.1 Service provided 'as is'

The Service is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. To the maximum extent permitted by law, we expressly disclaim all warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, or statutory, including but not limited to:

• Implied warranties of merchantability, satisfactory quality, or fitness for a particular purpose
• Any warranty that the Service will meet your specific requirements or expectations
• Any warranty that the Service will operate without interruption, error, or defect
• Any warranty that errors or defects will be corrected
• Any warranty as to the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or timeliness of any content
• Any warranty of non-infringement of third-party rights

You use the Service entirely at your own risk. You are responsible for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on the Service or its content.

7.2 No professional advice

The information and tools provided by StepZero are for general guidance only and do not constitute legal, environmental, financial, or professional advice. You should consult appropriate professionals before making business decisions based on information from the Service.

7.3 Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, StepZero and its officers, directors, employees, and agents shall not be liable for any of the following, whether arising in contract, tort (including negligence), statute, or otherwise:

• Loss of profits, revenue, business, or anticipated savings
• Loss of data or business information
• Business interruption or loss of opportunity
• Indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or exemplary damages
• Any loss arising from your reliance on the Service's content, estimates, or recommendations
• Any loss arising from interruption, suspension, or unavailability of the Service
• Any errors, inaccuracies, or omissions in content, including indicative estimates
• Unauthorised access to or alteration of your data
• Any third-party conduct or content accessed through the Service

Aggregate liability cap: to the fullest extent permitted by law, StepZero's total aggregate liability to you in respect of all claims under or in connection with these Terms shall not exceed the greater of: (a) the total fees paid by you to StepZero in the twelve months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim; or (b) one hundred pounds sterling (£100). Where the Service has been provided to you free of charge, our maximum liability shall be £100. This aggregate cap applies across all provisions of these Terms and to all claims arising from your use of the Service, howsoever caused and regardless of the legal theory (contract, tort, statute, or otherwise) under which any claim is brought.

Time bar: any claim arising under or in connection with these Terms must be brought within twelve (12) months of the date on which the claiming party knew or ought reasonably to have known of the circumstances giving rise to the claim. Claims brought after this period are absolutely barred.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits our liability for: death or personal injury caused by our negligence; fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or any other liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited under English law.

7.4 Indicative estimates and data

StepZero presents a range of indicative estimates to help you understand the potential benefits of sustainability actions. These include:

• Estimated cost savings and upfront implementation costs
• Estimated annual carbon and greenhouse gas emissions reductions (in kg or tonnes CO₂e)
• Estimated implementation effort in hours
• Payback periods and return-on-investment projections
• References and source citations from published research and government datasets

These estimates are derived from published research, government datasets (including DEFRA emission factors), industry benchmarks, and third-party sources, which are cited where available. We take care to use credible sources and make reasonable efforts to review and refresh data periodically. However, referenced datasets are maintained by third parties and may be updated, revised, or superseded at any time without notice to us. Where a source is cited with a publication date or version, that refers to the data used at the time of authoring and does not guarantee that the underlying source has not since changed. We do not warrant that all figures reflect the most current version of any referenced dataset.

All figures are indicative only. They are intended to motivate and guide your sustainability journey, not to serve as certified, auditable, or professionally validated outputs. Actual results will vary depending on your business's specific circumstances, operations, energy tariffs, and other factors.

You must not rely on StepZero estimates as the sole basis for:

• Formal tender submissions or procurement processes
• Legal, regulatory, or compliance filings
• ESG disclosures, sustainability reports, or investor communications
• Loan applications or green finance proposals
• Any purpose requiring professionally validated or audited data

If you need verified figures for any of the above purposes, we recommend engaging a qualified sustainability consultant, carbon accountant, or other relevant professional. StepZero accepts no liability for any loss or damage arising from reliance on indicative estimates for purposes beyond general guidance and motivation.