NET ZERO & DECARBONISATION

A decarbonisation plan is a list of interventions with costs attached.

A net-zero commitment without a costed pathway is a press release. We build the pathway first: which interventions, in what order, at what cost, against your actual baseline.

Who this service is for

Manufacturers planning operational emissions reduction

Identify practical emissions-reduction measures across energy, fuel, process, logistics, and procurement.

Leadership teams evaluating net-zero commitments

Turn a net-zero ambition into a costed, sequenced plan with ownership and decision points.

Exporters responding to customer transition plans

Prepare a credible transition plan and supporting evidence for customers asking how emissions will fall over time.

Start from the baseline, not the target

A net-zero target set before the emissions baseline exists is a guess. Decarbonisation planning has to start from a verified GHG inventory, because the interventions that matter depend entirely on where your emissions actually sit, a plant with a coal-heavy captive power source has a different first move than one already on grid electricity with a strong renewable mix.

How we sequence interventions

We separate interventions into three tiers: operational changes with limited capital cost, load scheduling, maintenance, efficiency measures, that can start within a reporting cycle; energy substitution, renewable power procurement, fuel switching, that needs capital planning but established technology; and process or technology change, the harder abatement for cement, steel, and chemicals, that needs longer lead times and often external financing or offtake arrangements.

Each intervention in the plan carries an estimated emissions reduction and an order-of-magnitude cost, so the plan can be defended to a board, a lender, or a buyer asking about your reduction trajectory, not just described in general terms.

A four-stage sequence diagram, drawn on one shared scale. Stage one, Measure: build the verified inventory. Its bar spans the full one hundred per cent of the footprint, because measuring attributes emissions but removes none. Stage two, Reduce: named levers against named streams, equipment optimisation cuts Scope 1 by fifty-five per cent, renewable power cuts Scope 2 by ninety per cent, supplier engagement cuts Scope 3 by twelve per cent and value chain transformation cuts it by a further fourteen per cent. This is the only stage that removes a tonne, and it leaves sixty-four point nine per cent of the baseline. Stage three, Residual: that same sixty-four point nine per cent, what real reduction cannot yet reach, process emissions, high-temperature heat, freight outside your control. Stage four, Offset: credible credits, retired against the residual only. It is drawn nested inside the residual stage rather than as a fourth equal option, and it is by far the smallest element in the diagram, because credits are sized to the residual and to nothing else. The order is load-bearing: offsetting before measuring and reducing buys a claim rather than a reduction, and it is the greenwashing failure mode this practice argues against. Percentages illustrative of a typical manufacturing profile, not Prakrti client data.

ORDER OF OPERATIONS

Measure, reduce, then price what is genuinely left.

Four stages on one scale. The sequence is the argument, each stage is only valid on the output of the one before it.

BAR LENGTH = SHARE OF THE MEASURED BASELINE · ALL FOUR STAGES ON ONE SCALE

01MEASUREBUILD THE INVENTORY100% ACCOUNTED
Metered fuel, purchased power, supplier invoices and freight, attributed to Scope 1, 2 and 3. Measuring removes nothing, it tells you which tonnes are yours and where they sit.
02REDUCENAMED LEVERS, NAMED STREAMS64.9% REMAINS
Energy efficiency on Scope 1, renewable power on Scope 2, supplier engagement and process change on Scope 3. This is the only stage that removes a tonne. Every cut traces to a line in the inventory.
- −55%EQUIPMENT OPTIMISATIONON SCOPE 1
- −90%RENEWABLE POWERON SCOPE 2
- −12%SUPPLIER ENGAGEMENTON SCOPE 3
- −14%VALUE CHAIN TRANSFORMATIONON SCOPE 3
03RESIDUALWHAT REDUCTION CANNOT YET REACH64.9% OF BASELINE
Process emissions, high-temperature heat, freight you do not control. Real, measured, and still there after the levers are pulled. This is the only quantity an offset may be sized against.
APPLIED TO THE RESIDUAL ONLY
04OFFSETCREDIBLE, RETIRED CREDITS≤ 64.9% OF BASELINE
Credits sized to the residual and retired against it. A credit is a purchase, not a reduction, it is the last line of the sequence, never the first.

THE ORDER IS NOT INTERCHANGEABLE

Offsetting before measuring and reducing buys a claim rather than a reduction. Without an inventory there is no residual to size credits against, and without reduction the number being offset only grows. That sequence is the greenwashing failure mode, it is not this pathway.

Percentages illustrative of a typical manufacturing profile, not Prakrti client data.

Net zero and interim targets

For companies setting a net-zero or interim reduction target, the plan feeds directly into target-setting work, including alignment with SBTi's methodology if that is the intended route, so the target reflects what the roadmap can realistically deliver rather than a round number.

What you receive

Clear outputs your team can use

01Baseline and hotspot review
02Reduction-opportunity register
03Indicative impact and cost ranges
04Prioritised implementation roadmap
05Governance and progress indicators

How the engagement works

A practical, evidence-led process

01
Confirm the baseline
Review inventory boundaries, quality, hotspots, production outlook, and constraints.
02
Identify levers
Screen efficiency, electrification, renewable energy, fuel, process, logistics, and supplier interventions.
03
Prioritise decisions
Compare impact, cost range, feasibility, dependencies, and lead time.
04
Build the roadmap
Set owners, milestones, data needs, and review cadence without promising an unsupported completion date.

Prepare for what is next

Reduction plans need to survive changing production and energy markets

A useful roadmap is updated when output, power sourcing, technology cost, or customer expectations change. Early preparation focuses on no-regret data and efficiency measures while preserving clear decision gates for larger capital projects.

Standards and frameworks

Work grounded in recognised guidance

GHG Protocol
SBTi Corporate Net-Zero Standard where selected

Questions businesses ask

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between carbon neutral and net zero?

Carbon neutral typically means offsetting emissions to a net balance of zero, often relying heavily on credits. Net zero, under frameworks such as SBTi, requires deep direct emissions reduction, generally 90 percent or more against a baseline, with only a small residual covered by removals, not offsets for avoided emissions.

How is a decarbonisation roadmap built?

It starts from a verified GHG inventory, identifies feasible reduction interventions specific to the company's processes and energy sources, and sequences them by cost, lead time, and impact, distinguishing near-term operational changes from longer-term capital investment.

Do we need a GHG inventory before decarbonisation planning?

Yes. Interventions are selected based on where emissions actually concentrate in your operations. Without a verified baseline, a reduction plan is working from assumptions rather than data.

How long does it take to reach net zero for a manufacturing company?

Timelines vary widely by sector and starting point; hard-to-abate sectors such as cement and steel typically need longer horizons because process emissions require technology change, not just energy substitution. The roadmap sets the realistic timeline for a specific company rather than assuming a standard one.

Next step

Get a decarbonisation roadmap built from your actual emissions data

Tell us your sector and energy mix. We will outline what a realistic reduction pathway looks like before we talk targets.

Start your roadmap