Agentic UK SME Scope 1 and 2 carbon footprint calculation, SECR (Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting) narrative, and Science Based Targets (SBT) readiness gap assessment service for small companies (1–50 staff) required to report under SECR, responding to a large-customer supply chain sustainability questionnaire, or seeking SME Climate Hub net-zero commitment accreditation. Replaces the sustainability consultant who charges £1,200–£3,500 to collect energy data, calculate the carbon inventory, write the SECR directors' report narrative, and produce the SBT gap analysis.
Why now
No fresh signal batch provided today; justified by the UK Government's SECR regulations (mandatory since 2019 for large companies) and the accelerating Scope 3 supply chain disclosure pressure from FTSE 350 procurement teams, widely discussed in r/smallbusiness and sustainability forums, and confirmed by BEIS guidance updates on gov.uk.
Commercial value
SECR is mandatory for UK quoted companies and large unquoted companies, but the real commercial pull is supply chain pressure: FTSE 350 companies are now requiring Scope 3 supplier disclosures, forcing their SME suppliers to produce carbon reports for the first time. ~500,000 UK SMEs are in FTSE 350 supply chains. Sustainability consultants charge £1,200–£3,500 for the initial report. At £399/year this is a large, recurring, commercially-driven market with a clear 'my customer is demanding it' urgency trigger.
Go-to-market
Target SME suppliers to large corporates via LinkedIn outreach to sustainability managers at FTSE 350 companies (who will forward to their suppliers) and direct cold email to SME finance directors who have received a supply chain sustainability questionnaire. Hook: 'Your customer is asking for your carbon footprint — produce a credible SECR-aligned report in 1 hour for £399.' First 10 via sustainability-focused accountancy firm partnerships (they get the questionnaire first).
2-week MVP
Single workflow: user inputs 12 months of electricity bills, gas bills, and fleet fuel receipts via a simple upload form; LLM calculates Scope 1 and 2 emissions using BEIS conversion factors, generates a SECR-compliant directors' report narrative paragraph, and produces a one-page carbon summary the customer can send to their buyer. Cut: Scope 3, SBT gap analysis, ongoing monitoring, third-party verification. Fully automated at MVP using published BEIS emission factors. Day-1 outcome: a credible carbon report the customer can attach to their supply chain questionnaire response today.
Agent score
0.60 — Commercial: supply chain pressure is a strong non-optional trigger, £1,200–£3,500 budget line replaced, 500k SME addressable base — scores 0.76; discounted slightly because many SMEs will use their accountant for this. Speed: BEIS emission factors are public, calculation logic is simple, LLM narrative generation is trivial — shippable in 1 week; accountancy firm partnerships are a known channel — scores 0.87. Defensibility: low moat; the calculation methodology is standardised and public, so differentiation must come from integrations and data network effects — honest 0.44.
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