But the pledges by governments to date – if they are to be fully achieved require sustained support and participation from individual citizens, whose choices and lives will be affected in many ways.

One Oxfordshire business that is trying to make sustainability an individual choice is Viafuture, a collective of associates with a unified passion to remove the barriers that prevent organisations from reaching their full energy and sustainability potential.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the world has a viable pathway to building a global energy sector with net-zero emissions in 2050, but it is narrow and requires an unprecedented transformation of how energy is produced, transported and used globally it said in a special report released this month. Based on their modelling tools, the IEA Roadmap sets out more than 400 milestones to guide the global journey to net zero by 2050.

For its part, Cypher client, ViaFuture provides the opportunity for organisations, regardless of size to able to pursue their own sustainable pathway, for individuals to feel they can have a role to play within their organisation and for stakeholders to foster a deeper connection to the impact that can achieve locally within their communities.

As Zoe King, Founder of Viafuture explains, “We all have a role to play to achieve the Government’s Net Zero targets and we want to remove perceived barriers and make it as easy as possible for individuals to contribute either through their employer or in their own right.

“We ensure organisations have an authentic, credible sustainability policy and have structured our offer around three pillars including, procurement, policy creation and community engagement.

“Firstly we advise on the best fit strategy for utility purchasing to ensure contracts meet business needs, whether this is fixed purchasing or more complex risk managed services.

“Secondly, we can create a sustainable policy for any business, aimed at reduce wastage but also allow an organisation to achieve B Corp or ISO14001 environmental standards if they choose. Part of this pledge is to allow employees of these businesses to make a donation to charity when they too switch provider.

“Thirdly, we work with clients and partners to create funds that can be donated to local causes in the community to foster a much deeper relationship between businesses, staff and their local environment. Our aim is to create some community-owned renewable energy resources.”

The IEA’s report is the world’s first comprehensive study of how much it will have to transition in order to create a net zero energy system by 2050 while ensuring stable and affordable energy supplies, providing universal energy access, and enabling robust economic growth.

The Roadmap it sets out is both formidable and critical on the path to net-zero emissions by 2050, but its course could bring huge benefits.

Zoe however, urges caution to business owners striving to do their bit.

“I think we must all be wary of Green-Washing,” she explains.

“Just because something says it is renewable, doesn’t mean it is and one of the greatest risks a business can face on its route to creating a truly authentic a sustainability policy is its credibility. A wrong move can seriously damage firm’s environmental credentials which can have a significant financial and reputational impact. Our advice is always double check or to peak to an expert.”

With sales of new cars powered solely by petrol or diesel banned in the UK from 2030, a recent report by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) found that demand for electric vehicles is growing in the UK – accounting for one in 10 car registrations last year – mainly fuelled by businesses or buyers of fleets. Just 4.6% of new consumer vehicles were battery powered.

One Oxfordshire company that is supporting the growth in electric and hybrid cars locally is Your-E Car, which specialises in hybrid and electric vehicles for fleet and personal customers.

Following a successful career in motor parts, sales and leasing, MD Ben Fleetwood, created a leasing business of his own called Red Kite Leasing in 2018. A successful 2019 followed but during lockdown Ben had an epiphany.

“The roads outside our house were absolutely silent for the first two weeks of lockdown 1.0. There was no noise, no pollution and I thought, imagine if the world could stay this way,” says Ben.

In 2020, the re-branded Your E-Car was born.

Ghandi has been credited with saying ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world’, this was Ben’s starting point.

“A number of companies offer general leasing but we wanted our offer to be more specialist. We aren’t going to change the whole world leasing electric cars one at a time, but I feel that we are doing our bit, locally at least. We are increasing the supply and the opportunity for business owners across Oxfordshire to make a sustainable choice for their fleet vehicles.

“Commercial vehicle owners are prepared to look deeper into their environmental impact and by offering staff a choice that includes electric models they allow a whole company to make a difference.”

Driving an electric vehicle needn’t be expensive either. They come with the latest technology, which improves the driving experience, but in reality they may even be better for your bottom line and contribute to a cleaner, better environment.

Until recently, if you’d asked your accountant if you should buy a car through your business, the answer would almost always have been no, because the Benefit in Kind tax you would pay would far outweigh any tax relief you got on the vehicle. However, that all changed last year and as part of the Government’s commitment net zero, business owners are now in a position where, if you buy an electric car, then the benefit in kind tax is just 1%.

There are a number of impressive electric or hybrid models available, but what it even more impressive are the tax savings you can now benefit from by having an electric car in your business. You now get 100% of the cost of the car off set against your profits – on which you pay corporation tax.

If that isn’t reason enough, then consider this; if you are currently funding your car privately, but using it for business, then the money you are using has already had tax deducted. If you are taking a salary or dividends out of your business then HMRC are charging you tax on those funds before you make any payments. But, now, if the company buys the car, then not only do you save Corporation Tax relief on the price of the car, plus the running costs, but you also get to keep more of the money you do take out – because you aren’t funding the car – or you take less out in the first place, so pay less personal tax on it. Either way it’s a win, win.

According to Zap-Map, there are nearly 24,000 chargers installed around the country. So far, they have mainly been concentrated in London and the South East. But Ofgem has said the investment by energy networks would support more ultra-rapid charge points in cities such as Glasgow, Kirkwall, Warrington, Llandudno, York and Truro.

Some 1,800 ultra-fast chargers, capable of charging car batteries in minutes rather than hours, will now be installed across the motorway network – as reassurance for electric vehicle drivers who want to embark on long journeys.

Whether buying or selling, letting or renting a house, flat, house-boat or commercial property, Wallers treat customers as individuals and offer a unique, tailored service that has built them a strong regional reputation.

“When people ask me how we are different, I have to wonder how to answer that! We have access to the same tech as everyone else, we have a high street shop, but then so do the majority of our competitors… however what sets us apart, I think, is the way that we choose to use those tools, the level of service we offer, the people we employ and the attitude we bring to our work”, explains Founder and Director, Rowan Waller.

With a passion for customer service, a commitment to being a force for good in the local community and an early adopter of PropTech, it was no surprise that Rowan chose Cypher to be the accountancy firm for his business.

“I met Matt at a networking group a week after I opened and he has since been a godsend to me. Yes he does my accounts, but he is more than just my accountant. He is a friend, an adviser, a professional who clearly knows his business and has been generous with his time to go out of his way to learn mine. The way he bills me monthly and is available at all times has been a massive help over the years”, says Rowan.

What started as a one-man-in-his-bedroom operation has grown to a multi-office business, with plans for further expansion. This is in stark contrast to the real prospect of closure that Wallers faced just 12 months ago. After a turbulent 2019, caused by the uncertainty surrounding Brexit, cashflow had reached a critical point just as the Covid pandemic hit.

“In 2019 we barely held on by the skin of our teeth, but always felt that there was light at the end of the tunnel if we could just get over the Brexit hump – and this is coming from a blue-hat-with-gold-stars-wearing, trumpet-blowing European”, Rowan admits. “Sure enough, enter January 2020 and after that last general election result, the property market exploded into life for us.

“In the first two months of trading in 2020 we agreed half the number of deals we had during the whole of 2019 and had built an extremely strong pipeline, but then the first lockdown hit. In-person viewings and valuations were prohibited and transactions were stopped before any of that income had come through. We were in limbo”.

It was during this time that Cypher’s proactive approach was most valuable. Regular briefings, self-made videos and frequent client ‘lifeboat calls’ designed to ensure that each business owner knew their options, understood the support that was on offer and that made the Cypher team available played a massive role in helping businesses to consolidate, access funding and re-open as soon as possible, many with a slightly different proposition to reflect their version of the new normal.

“In the early stages of lockdown, Matt was proactive, he was available and worked with a WhatsApp group of more than 100 business owners to show that if we all rowed the same way, we could all come out of lockdown with stronger businesses.”

With in-person viewings still a barrier, Wallers strengthened their position using video technology. An early adopter of virtual tour technology Wallers extended this to offering video viewings on empty properties. While nobody buys a house they haven’t seen in person Wallers found that this wasn’t the case for the rental market.

“We agreed 10 lets during lockdown without conducting a single in person viewing, which along with a local authority grant, allowed us to tick over until we re-opened in May”, says Rowan.

“When we came out of lockdown I still didn’t know which way the wind would blow, but we agreed a sale on the first day, and then a second on day two and things began to snowball from there. We still had our paused pipeline of deals, which started to move at last. In fact, 2020 saw us grow by 33%, compared to 2019 in terms of revenue, despite not earning any sales fees for the two months of the first lockdown. Not just that, but our profits grew by over 300%!”.

“For me to become the business person I am today I needed three people in my life. Matt was one of them, my wife is another. That is how important Matt is to me. He was one of the people who helped remind me that the possibility to open 10 or 11 offices, which started when I was just one man in my bedroom in 2014, was still there for me.

“When I started out this wasn’t on my agenda, I was looking to be agile, deliver good customer service and make some money for myself, but Matt has shown me possibilities I had never imagined.

From their purpose built HQ in Brize Norton, MD Nick Rowland, and his team design, create, deliver and install anything from individually designed doors and windows to kitchens, bathrooms, dining rooms or bedroom furniture to drive gates from scratch, all from sustainable timber.

With such an eye for style, precision and reassurance, it was no surprise that Nick chose Cypher to be the accountancy firm for his business.

“It was all about Matt Williams”, Nick explains. “It didn’t matter about the name above the door, I wanted to work with Matt. He is a problem solver, he has a can do attitude. He has earned the respect of a lot of people for the way he approaches things and so it was an easy choice.”

Rowood, has built a solid reputation for delivering on time and to a quality few can match and boasts an impressive client list that includes Blenheim Palace.

Business was good, but Nick had spotted a gap in the market and wanted to fill it – literally, with bespoke, handmade fire doors.

He explains, “You can buy commercial fire doors anywhere, but for many of the businesses and period properties we work with there is no uniform size, no straight lines, so getting a door off the shelf to fit is impossible. We take that pain away by offering a bespoke service, and make the doors to fit.”

At the start of 2020, Nick had plans in place, test products made, testing complete. He was ready to open the Oxford Fire Door Company. Then lockdown hit and the doors were well and truly slammed shut. But with the support of Cypher Nick was able to open the new company and create another chapter for his quality handcrafted furniture.

Says Nick, “We had everything ready, but we had sat on the idea. We spoke to Matt and he helped convince us that we could go to market. We spent the first part of lockdown getting ready, testing more products, getting some photography done, so when the world was ready, so were we.

“Despite having 25 years in business, a year ago we panicked; we didn’t know what was going to happen a lot of us didn’t. It was Matt that guided us through, he opened the doors, helped us create this new start up. He helped us consolidate with the other businesses and helped protect our existing assets and it is already doing really well.”

Unlike other recruitment agencies that include this niche function as part of a wider portfolio, this is a specialism for AJ Fox, led by owner-director Adam Spencer, who provide this service to law firms building teams across the UK, APAC and the US.

Compared to more traditional legal functions, law firm risk and compliance is a relatively new but dynamic role with law firms building this support function in many different ways. It is one that qualified lawyer Adam understands very well.

Now in its second year of trading, Adam created the business with a vision to offer exceptional client support, often being prepared to offer service over and above what was contracted in order to provide a positive experience and a greater impact for clients.

As a start up in a competitive industry, Adam needed an accountant that would not only support his new venture, but also guide him and importantly be available when he needed them. Cypher was the obvious choice.

“Matt impressed me”, says Adam, “I liked his down to earth approach, the way he was embracing technology and the fixed cost monthly fee suited me, but overall it was his approach to client engagement. I didn’t understand how more traditional accountants created a mystical number for fees and you didn’t really know what you were going to get.”

Later, during the first lockdown, when the fledgling recruitment business could have suffered severely, Cypher created a ‘lifeboat service’ to engage with all clients to ensure they were ok, knew what support was on offer and that ultimately the team at Cypher were available.

Says Adam, “I have friends that are accountants, and those that use accountants to support their business, all of them were saying the same thing; their more traditional firms all felt that the videos, the WhatsApp groups and the continued support was too informal. For me it was just what was needed. I shared a lot of the content that Matt put out to help other businesses.”

This month is the deadline for self-assessed personal tax payments, just one area that Cypher helped Adam with.

“My partner and I wanted to buy a house, so Matt helped with our self-assessment, but his approach to offering other services was also refreshing. As a start-up, to preserve my cash flow he encouraged me to file my first VAT returns. It was a really beneficial and actually taught me a lot! I did a couple and now Cypher does them.”

“When I started I was a little green to business. But even now, Cypher is more than an accountant. If I have a business question, generally I go to Matt first. They are more of a business adviser. When we wanted to grow, he talked me through my risk appetite and introduced me to various funding sources.”

Since opening his doors in 2019, Adam has added two more specialist recruiters to the business and with the continued support of Cypher is looking forward to further growth, despite challenging business conditions.