Nearly two-thirds of UK businesses (63%) report losing or delaying a commercial opportunity in the past two years with incomplete, inconsistent, or inaccessible carbon data a contributing factor, according to new research from carbon management platform Zevero.
Carbon data refers to the emissions figures a business produces, such as its total footprint and the footprint of individual products. It draws on information held across the organisation, including energy bills, procurement records, logistics systems, and product data, alongside information submitted by suppliers. While sustainability teams are typically responsible for calculating and consolidating the figures, they are increasingly needed by sales, procurement, product, finance, and operational teams.
The study of 502 decision-makers at UK companies with at least 100 employees found that almost all (97%) now collect some form of carbon data—but holding the underlying information is only the first step. When figures are insufficient or unreliable, the consequences can include delayed decisions, duplicated work, and lost commercial opportunities.
Carbon data is becoming commercial currency
Respondents estimate that credible carbon data was needed for an average of two in five (40%) of the commercial opportunities their organisation pursued in the past year, including tenders, customer contracts, and financing applications.More than three quarters (77%) expect that proportion to increase over the next three years; only 3% expect it to fall.
Carbon data is also helping businesses compete. Among businesses that collect it, 42% have successfully used it to win or retain a customer, contract, or tender in the past two years. More than a third (35%) have used it to secure investment or financing.
George Wade, co-founder and chief commercial officer at Zevero, said:
“Carbon data has moved out of the sustainability report and into the sales pipeline. Customers ask for it in tenders, lenders ask for it in financing applications, and more than a third of businesses say gaps in it have already put a £1m opportunity at risk. Emissions figures now carry commercial weight, and they need to be managed with the same care as the financials.”
Credible carbon figures take nine days to reach decision-makers
Among businesses that collect some form of emissions data, when a credible figure is needed for a commercial or operational decision, it takes 9.1 days on average for that number to reach the decision-maker. The wait comes after emissions have been measured. It is the time taken to find the right figure, check it, get it approved and pass it on, often because the information is spread across different teams and systems.
Only one in seven (13%) can provide the information within the same working day, while more than two in five (42%) take at least a week or cannot currently obtain it.
Among businesses that can provide credible carbon information within the working day, half (49%) report that data problems have contributed to an opportunity being lost or delayed. That rises to more than two thirds (67%) among businesses taking longer.
Confidence remains high, even where the data has fallen short
Nearly nine in ten businesses (89%) say carbon data gaps have contributed to at least one commercial or operational problem in the past two years. Almost three quarters (72%) have had to repeat work, while more than two thirds (69%) have seen a commercial or operational decision delayed.
Despite these repeated problems, more than four in five businesses collecting carbon data (86%) are confident it is accurate. A similar proportion (87%) believe it could withstand scrutiny from customers, regulators or investors.
A carbon decision gap
The findings reveal a carbon decision gap. Businesses increasingly need carbon information and the majority believe the figures they hold are credible, but few have built it into how decisions are made. Only one in five (19%) treat carbon data as a standard input to major decisions with defined ownership and decision criteria, while 38% keep it out of business decisions altogether.
George Wade added: “Most businesses already hold much of the underlying information. The challenge is turning data spread across different teams and systems into a credible answer that somebody can use.
“Ask a finance team for last quarter’s revenue and you’ll have it the same day. Ask for an emissions datapoint and the average business needs nearly two working weeks to provide it. Most companies have already done the hard work of measuring their emissions. The next step is making that number easy to find, check and share, because a customer running a two-week tender won’t wait a week and a half for it.”
The research identifies three practices associated with stronger commercial outcomes: collecting emissions data directly from suppliers, using carbon data in business decisions, and giving decision-makers same-day access to credible figures. Just 3% of businesses that collect carbon data currently follow all three.
- Zevero
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