Scotland’s Climate Week is an annual campaign celebrating the positive climate actions being taken across Scotland. It emphasises the need for change and inspires individuals, communities and organisations to take meaningful steps towards implementing those changes.
At Spreng Thomson, Scotland’s Climate Week provides an opportunity for us to reflect on our efforts as a business to support these necessary changes. We evaluate our contributions as individuals, as a company and in our partnerships with the organisations we work with.
We are proud to work with organisations that are leading the way, turning ideas and ambition into action and driving change across the country in some of our most important industries.
Forth Ports – Leading Scotland’s green transition with the infrastructure that powers a sustainable future
Forth Ports Limited is a business that is demonstrating exactly what a just transition can look like. The company has played a significant role in Scotland’s oil and gas sector and is now also a leader in the green reindustrialisation of Scotland through continued investment and innovation. In 2023, Forth Ports outlined its commitment to reduce carbon across its operation.
A cornerstone of Forth Ports’ carbon reduction strategy is its substantial investment in infrastructure, port services and towage to support the UK’s renewable energy sector, including offshore wind. Significant investment has already been made with the creation of bespoke renewables hubs in Dundee and Leith to be part of the offshore wind revolution in the North Sea. Forth Ports, along with project partners, has been an innovator in hydrogen power technology, showcasing the world’s first Green Hydrogen Shore Power Demonstrator at the Port of Leith. This technology uses clean, green hydrogen energy to reduce carbon emissions from vessels when berthed in port.
Through media and stakeholder engagement, social media and video, we’ve been proud to support this journey, showcasing to key audiences a company at the forefront of tackling Scotland’s climate challenges.
The Port of Dundee played a major role in the construction of the Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) Offshore Wind Farm as it hosted the turbine components for its custom-built Wind Turbine Marshalling Facility – DunEco Quay.
Neart na Gaoithe – Delivering renewable energy for generations to come
Owned by EDF power solutions UK and Ireland and ESB, NnG Offshore Wind is located 15.5 km off the Fife coast and covers an area of approximately 105 km². Now fully operational, the wind farm can produce up to 450 MW of low-carbon energy and has 54 turbines with the capacity to provide enough clean, green electricity to power a city the size of Edinburgh – around 375,000 homes.
Back in July, the project marked its completion with a visit from Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney. We have been proud to support NnG since the project’s inception, working with the project team for over a decade crafting engaging communications to ensure the positive impact of renewable energy was not only understood nationally but also by the communities living closest to the site.
Forth Green Freeport – Central to Scotland’s green ambitions
Now open for business, Forth Green Freeport acts as a catalyst for new green technologies, alternative fuels and renewable energy manufacturing. Alongside major upgrades to infrastructure and technology-backed skills development programmes for young people and harder to reach communities.
A detailed economic impact assessment has projected that it will generate £7.9 billion of private and public investment over the next decade and boost GVA (gross value add) by £8.1 billion. This investment is projected to create up to 34,500 well-paid, highly skilled, green jobs, with around 16,000 of these being direct employment in the FGF’s target sectors and tax sites.
Clear and confident communication is essential for projects like Forth Green Freeport.
Stagecoach – Driving climate action by connecting communities with low and no carbon public transport
If Scotland is to meet its climate ambitions, changing the way we travel is essential. Transport is still one of Scotland’s largest sources of emissions. Communicating the benefits of using public transport, such as reducing congestion and improving air quality, is essential in demonstrating how small individual choices can contribute to significant positive effects on the climate.
In public transport, we’ve worked closely with Stagecoach West Scotland and the company is playing an important role in helping local communities in the West of Scotland transition to cleaner travel.
Stagecoach has introduced one of the largest fully electric fleets in the country outside a major city, with 92 electric buses now operating across Ayrshire. These deliver vital services that connect people in communities across the region to education, work, healthcare and leisure.
Alongside this, we have supported campaigns like ‘Choose Public Transport’ – a collaborative campaign across the Glasgow City Region with Glasgow City Council, ScotRail , Glasgow Bus Alliance , Strathclyde Partnership for Transport , Glasgow Taxis Limited and Night Time Industries Association(Scotland) – aimed at encouraging visitors to come into the city to attend events and visit pubs, clubs and restaurants while ditching the car to use the wide range of sustainable public transport options available.
Loch Duart – Setting the standard for low-impact salmon farming
Loch Duart Salmon is an independent Scottish salmon farm known for its low-impact, responsible approach to farming. The farm commits to these low-impact practices by protecting the marine environment and maintaining high animal welfare standards. It works to raise the best quality salmon with the lowest possible impact on the environment.
By helping to tell Loch Duart’s story, we’ve helped shine a light on how responsible food production can support Scotland’s climate goals.
Caledonia Housing Association – Shaping sustainable communities with energy efficient homes
Making our communities more sustainable is a priority for achieving our climate goals. The way we heat, design and manage our homes contributes significantly to carbon emissions, making it essential that this issue is addressed. Climate action in this area has a direct impact on people’s everyday lives. Communicating these changes is vital. When communities and relevant stakeholders understand the need for action, support increases, making it easier to achieve our goals.
Caledonia Housing Association (CHA) strives to develop thriving communities, while introducing low-carbon living to its tenants, ensuring warmer, more affordable housing that supports Scotland’s climate goals. In 2023, CHA published its first Climate and Sustainability Strategy, which set out how the organisation will tackle climate change and meet the Scottish Government’s carbon reduction targets by 2045.
The ambitious strategy focused on four key themes of measuring, managing and reporting carbon emissions, improving the energy efficiency of properties and decarbonising homes, adopting sustainable business practices, including engaging with communities and building new homes and enhancing sustainable procurement to reduce the overall environmental impact.
Spreng Thomson’s commitment
As a business, it’s important we do our bit too. We are members of the Sustainable Glasgow Charter, a commitment by leading businesses and employers in Glasgow to take action within their own organisations and sectors to contribute to reducing the city’s carbon emissions.
Learn more about Sustainable Glasgow.
We are also members of Circular Glasgow, leading to us partnering together with design studio Graven , Glasgow Chamber of Commerce and Zero Waste Scotland to develop and deliver a circular economy design project, aimed at accelerating the adoption of circular business models in Glasgow.
Learn more about Circular Glasgow.
Bold targets and ambitious plans require clear and authentic storytelling that connects with the right audiences to build the necessary support.
Intelligent and creative communication helps generate the momentum needed to turn ideas into action. Whether it’s promoting sustainable transport, inspiring confidence in new renewable projects, or sparking conversations about green jobs, we see our role as more than just sharing news. It’s about creating meaningful conversations and ensuring our clients lead those discussions.
Scotland’s Climate Week serves as a reminder that tackling climate change requires contributions from everyone – businesses, policymakers, communities and individuals. As communicators, we believe we are central to sharing these messages and turning action into lasting change.
If you want to learn more about how communications can support your organisation’s climate goals, get in touch today by email: [email protected] or give us a call: 0141 548 5191.
