Carbon Literacy® supports businesses by providing employees with the skills and motivation to build a low-carbon culture, helping them to meet sustainability goals, comply with regulations, and enhance their environmental reputation.

As a proven and reliable tool for delivering effective climate action, Carbon Literacy training supports organisations in directly addressing their carbon footprint by helping them understand climate change impacts, the role they play in climate action, and building science-based, actionable strategies.

However, ensuring that SMEs are not left behind is in itself a challenge. UK SMEs represent 61% of employment and 51% of turnover, yet are particularly challenged by the low carbon transition.

The Compass Group Foundation has provided vital funding for SMEs in the food value chain to access globally recognised Carbon Literacy training, so they can be a part of the movement towards a low-carbon economy.

This initiative targets those who may face barriers in accessing climate education by empowering them to conduct internal training sessions for their staff in a cascade model, which minimises cost whilst maximising impact.

By fostering a Carbon Literate workforce, SMEs can better understand how to align with the procurement policies of their customers. Future-proofing your organisation in this way also reaps the numerous benefits associated with sustainability and environmental awareness. An educated workforce is better prepared to identify and mitigate climate-related risks, enhancing stakeholder relations whilst also cutting carbon and saving money.

This initiative will be aimed at SMEs in the food value chain with an annual turnover of less than £5m, as they represent a group who have limited financial resources, technical expertise, and dedicated sustainability departments compared to larger corporations.

The offer aims to be a catalytic process where the initial learners trained will enable SMEs in the food supply chain to access the Shareable Food Course, and deliver Carbon Literacy to their entire workforce via a cascading peer-to-peer training mode.

We will prioritise SMEs who agree to pay forward the free training they have received by offering to host Carbon Literacy training to other SMEs in their value chain. In this way, we will create a ripple effect which will continue to transform the sector beyond the timeframe of the grant.

Before applying, please first read our application guidance document to ensure you are eligible.

You can then complete the application form and we will be in contact once we have selected the organisations that have been successful.

This fully funded offer is limited, with a bounded number of SMEs that will be able to access the training. We intend to engage in training and provide SMEs with the resources to educate staff throughout 2025.

If you are not eligible for this offer but would still like to know more about how you or your organisation can get involved with The Carbon Literacy Project, please do not hesitate to contact us at food@carbonliteracy.com or info@carbonliteracy.com.