NEWS

Founded in 2016, Newcastle based Smart Carbon was established by Anna-Lisa and Graeme Mills with the aim to empower organisations to take meaningful action on carbon reduction and accelerate progress towards Net Zero.

From the outset, the business set out to go further than simply reporting emissions.

Smart Carbon developed a comprehensive offering spanning carbon literacy training, specialist consultancy and the innovative SmartCarbon Platform, enabling organisations to accurately measure, understand and reduce their carbon footprint across Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.

Following a period of strong early growth, further momentum was generated with the appointment of Lee Jackson as Managing Director, with business development becoming a significant strategic focus.

As demand increased and the client base expanded, the business began to experience the natural complexities that accompany scale.

What was once a lean and tightly managed operation was evolving into a larger, multi-layered organisation with increasing operational, commercial and delivery demands.

In 2024, Smart Carbon joined the Scaleup North East programme to ensure the business was fully prepared for its next phase of growth.

Scaleup North East is a specialist support programme delivered by RTC North, designed to help ambitious companies overcome barriers to expansion and prepare for sustainable scaling.

Through tailored one-to-one strategic guidance from experienced business leaders, the programme supports companies to strengthen leadership capability, clarify growth strategy, manage risk and build the right infrastructure for long-term success.

Working closely with Partner, Craig Huntingdon over a 24-month period, Smart Carbon undertook a structured review of its commercial model, service delivery capacity and long-term growth ambitions.

As the business grew across its three core service lines, training, consultancy and the SmartCarbon Platform, it became essential to understand how each performed individually and how they interlinked as part of a broader value proposition.

A detailed commercial review assessed current and forecast revenue across each offering, ensuring the appropriate systems, processes and people were in place to support sustainable expansion.

This work provided the leadership team with greater clarity around margin, scalability and operational interdependencies. It also ensured that infrastructure and internal capability kept pace with rising demand, and the impact of this knowledge and coaching has been significant.

Smart Carbon is now celebrating a series of major contract wins and has achieved growth across all three of its service areas.

Its client portfolio already includes high-profile organisations such as Esh Group and The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, and the business is now focused on expanding its reach to organisations of all sizes, across all sectors, throughout the UK.

Alongside client growth, the business continues to invest heavily in the ongoing development of its market-leading SmartCarbon Platform.

The SmartCarbon Calculator, a powerful, intuitive tool that simplifies the capture and analysis of emissions data while identifying clear reduction opportunities, remains central to the overall Smart Carbon offering.

Crucially, this technology is supported by high-quality training and consultancy, creating a comprehensive and compelling solution for organisations navigating complex reporting requirements.

“Smart Carbon have built a successful business based on a mission to tackle the climate emergency,” commented Craig Huntingdon, Scaleup Partner.

“Central to this has been the development of the SmartCarbon Calculator, a powerful tool that makes emission data easy to capture, understand and identify reduction opportunities but critically, it’s supported by high quality training courses and consultancy. Together this offers a compelling proposition with high growth potential.

“By ensuring that the business has robust foundations and the appropriate infrastructure to scale, the team can now focus on delivering their ambitions at pace. I would also suggest that any businesses looking to report on Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions should get in touch and book a demo,” Craig finished.

With stronger commercial clarity, enhanced internal structure and a clear strategic roadmap, Smart Carbon is now positioned for sustained, scalable growth. The leadership team has the confidence that systems and capability align with ambition, enabling them to respond decisively to new opportunities while maintaining the quality and integrity that support their reputation.

The journey highlights the importance of structured scale-up support during periods of accelerated growth. By combining a powerful technology platform with strategic preparation and expert guidance, Smart Carbon has strengthened its ability to deliver meaningful climate impact at scale.

For more information about how RTC North supports ambitious businesses through Scaleup North East to prepare for and manage growth, visit:
https://www.scaleupnortheast.co.uk/