Four key takeaways from the Festival of Sustainable Business

With 348 solar panels on its roof, saving the venue nearly 23 tonnes of carbon a year, the Bristol Beacon was a fitting venue for this year’s Festival, where talk about the importance of retrofitting was front and centre. As green thought leader Benita Matofska noted in the event’s Opening Ceremony: “It's no accident, of course, that we are here at the fabulous Bristol Beacon. It's a fine example of a retrofit building."

But it’s not just headline venues that can make a difference. Businesses of all sizes can take action – and see results. From installing solar panels to optimising heating systems, even modest interventions can lead to significant energy savings. 

Jack Allen from Building Energy Experts summed it up: retrofitting isn’t one-size-fits-all. “Everybody's different and everything is different. We need to understand exactly what the building is to really understand how it's currently being used and specify the best plan going forward,” he told the Conference. 

Just ask Sam Walker, who’s transformed his Victorian department store, Weston-Super-Mare’s Walker & Ling, with support from North Somerset Council and Future Leap. “Lots of gaps and lots of cold air coming in” gave way to 57 solar panels and a huge drop in energy use. 

2. Collaboration is the Catalyst 

If we want to move fast, we need to move together. Whether it’s building EV infrastructure or embedding renewables, collaboration is key. 

Ed Rowberry of BBRC shared how the Green Growth Fund, launching this autumn, will provide large-scale investment to help businesses grow their green ambitions. “The opportunity is there. If you've got a business and you want to grow, the financing should be there. It's just about navigating it.” 

But collaboration goes beyond funding. It’s about scrutinising your whole supply chain. Paul Bowtell is the Senior Manager for Sustainability at the Green Britain Group, which incorporates us at Ecotricity. He told delegates: “Where you spend your money is really important. Spending money is a massive sign, so just have a look at your suppliers. Are they on the same page? Have they got some targets? Are they trying to get there? They don't have to be perfect, but are they at least trying?” 

Small steps count. George Boyd of Future Leap encouraged businesses to engage suppliers early, break down Scope 3 emissions into bite-sized chunks, and make sure everyone in the chain is pulling in the same direction. He added that the agency offers a scorecard assessment tool for businesses to check their progress. 

Once you have engaged those suppliers, that then gives you the most important thing for building a decarbonisation map. Good intentions are one thing; good data is what turns plans into action. 

Understanding your energy use is an important first step. Alex Benstead from the UK Green Building Council, for which Ecotricity is the only Energy Supplier Member, stressed the power of smart and half-hourly meters in helping businesses get to grips with usage patterns. “Be curious about your energy usage and what that data tells you.” 

Away from the main Conference talks, there were interactive workshops and sessions taking place throughout Bristol Beacon. In one session, Practical steps for Decarbonisation, George Boyd shared how one Bristol client was able to cut their building emissions by 40% – thanks to data-driven planning that prioritised carbon impact and return on investment. He added that the way to do this was by identifying all possible carbon reductions across operations and then find the timescale, implementation cost and carbon impact for each one; this can then be a way of devising the most effective steps any business can take. 

And as Tracy Wyman from the Science Based Targets Initiative reminded attendees: “A strong plan includes a clear path to reduce emissions, clarity on capital investment and governance structures to achieve your plan and supplier and value chain investment.” 

The message? Your baseline doesn’t have to be perfect – but starting to measure is what puts you on the path to change. 

4. Small, but Everywhere 

In the push for decarbonisation, not every solution needs to be huge. In fact, the most exciting changes are happening at small scale all over the UK. 

Helen Martin from Bristol Energy Cooperative called this “small but everywhere”. On-site generation, like solar panels, small wind, battery storage, reduces grid strain, cuts carbon and pays for itself over time. 

Emily Taylor from National Grid pointed to the rising demand: connection requests have tripled as more businesses move towards low-carbon technologies. 

And at Ecotricity, we couldn’t agree more. As George Dale from our Merchant Wind team, which has installed solar panels for the likes of Ford and Sainsbury’s, said: “We want to turn every business park into a power station.” That’s the power of local energy. 

From retrofit projects to data-led decisions, from collaboration to decentralised generation – the festival made it clear that the southwest isn’t just talking about sustainability. It’s building it. One building, one business, one bold idea at a time.