Nearly two thirds (63 percent) of UK manufacturers report the loss or delay of a commercial opportunity in the past two years due in part to incomplete, outdated, inconsistent, or inaccessible carbon data. More than a third (37 percent) value the lost or delayed opportunity at £1m or more.
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 survey of 502 decision-makers at UK companies, including 73 working in manufacturing and industrial goods, found that almost all manufacturers (97 percent) now collect some form of carbon data.
Manufacturers Want Carbon Data On Hand When Decisions Are Made
Manufacturing leaders want carbon data to play a bigger part in decision-making than it does today. Just over two thirds of those that collect it (68 percent) say it should be used in business decisions, and more than a quarter (28 percent) believe it should be a standard input to major decisions, with defined ownership and decision criteria—almost double the 15 percent that treat it this way today.
Manufacturers Wait More Than Ten Days for a Carbon Figure
Using carbon data in decisions depends on being able to access a credible number when it is needed. When a commercial or operational decision requires one, manufacturers take an average of 10.3 days to get it to the relevant decision-maker. The wait comes after emissions have been measured: it is the time taken to find, consolidate, and approve a figure held across plants, materials, products, and suppliers.
Only one in ten manufacturers (10 percent) can provide carbon information within the same working day. More than half (54 percent) take at least a week or cannot currently obtain it, compared with 43 percent of businesses in other sectors. Despite these difficulties, nearly nine in ten manufacturers (89 percent) are confident their carbon data is accurate. A similar proportion (85 percent) believe it could withstand scrutiny from customers, regulators, or investors.
George Wade, co-founder and chief commercial officer at Zevero, said, “Manufacturers make carbon-relevant decisions constantly: on suppliers, materials, products, and customer quotes. They want the numbers in front of them when those decisions are made. When a figure takes two working weeks or more to arrive, there’s a high risk that the decision has already moved forward, and with deals worth £1m or more at stake, that is an expensive gap. Carbon data is moving onto the factory floor and into commercial conversations. Manufacturers are increasingly being asked for credible product and supply chain figures, but a ten-day wait can leave that information arriving too late to shape the decision.”
Commercial Demand is Set to Rise
Manufacturers estimate that carbon data was required for more than a third of the commercial opportunities they pursued in the past year, including tenders, customer contracts, and financing applications. More than three quarters (77 percent) expect that share to increase over the next three years. Carbon data is already helping manufacturers compete. Almost half (46 percent) of those that collect it have successfully used it to win or retain a customer, contract, or tender in the past two years.
Manufacturers Prioritise Connected Carbon Systems
The findings expose a carbon decision gap. Manufacturers increasingly need credible carbon figures for customers and commercial decisions, but information spread across production sites, products, suppliers, and internal systems cannot always be converted into an answer quickly enough. Businesses are preparing to invest in closing that gap. More than three quarters of manufacturers (78 percent) identify carbon accounting or management software as an investment priority for the next two years. A similar proportion (75 percent) plan to prioritise integration with finance, procurement, or operational systems.
“Getting carbon data for the manufacturing industry is complex because emissions sit across facilities, materials, products, and suppliers. However, many businesses already hold much of the underlying information in their ERP systems. The challenge is turning it into a credible answer that somebody can use to benefit the company and the planet. Closing the gap requires connected systems, clear ownership, and an evidence trail that allows the right figure to reach the right person quickly. Manufacturers that get this right will be better placed to respond to customers, substantiate product claims and make informed decisions about procurement, production and investment,” Wade added.
