Putting Net Zero at the centre of Social Value: Why 2025 must be the year we turn intent into infrastructure

By Ben Tuck, Social Value Manager, E.ON

When I stepped onto the stage to chair our session at the recent Social Value Conference 2025, I opened with a simple belief that guides my work at E.ON: the transition to a cleaner, fairer energy system must work for every household, business and community.

It’s why social value can’t simply sit adjacent to Net Zero – the two are inseparable.

But what struck me during the discussion was how much potential remains untapped.

The Social Value Act has already transformed procurement from a transactional function into a tool for wider social and environmental progress.

Yet its role in accelerating the Net Zero transition is only just beginning.

To explore this, I had the privilege of leading a panel of four experts at the conference whose backgrounds collectively span social innovation, digital inclusion, consultancy, supply-chain transformation and green workforce development.

They were:

• Richard Tyrie, Founder & CEO, GoodPeople – bringing deep expertise in inclusive employment and skills
• Jon Steggles, Head of Sustainability & Social Value, CDW – offering practical insight on embedding Net Zero across large, complex organisations
• Jess Reddy, Director, Deloitte – providing strategic advisory experience in social impact, place-based transformation and organisational change
• Ellie Richardson, Digital Inclusion & Skills Lead, Department for Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT) – representing government’s perspective on digital access, skills and circular economy.

Each played a critical role in shaping the conversation.

Together, they helped unpack why the future of Net Zero and social value is fundamentally place-based, skills-led and partnership-driven.

Why skills sit at the heart of the Net Zero drive

One theme from our discussion emerged immediately: Net Zero cannot be delivered without a workforce capable of delivering it.

Richard, who has spent years working across regeneration, employment and community activation, was unequivocal in his stance on this.

To sum up his words, without a skilled, adaptable green workforce: “Net Zero will remain an aspiration, not a destination.”

His point was reinforced by Jess, who stressed the majority of the workforce we need in place by 2030 to achieve Net Zero is already being built in today’s employment.

But there is far more work to be done.

Retraining, upskilling and creating inclusive entry routes into this space is not just an economic imperative – it is a social one, ensuring the transition benefits places and people who have historically been left behind.

At E.ON, we see this in real terms.

Our 15-year Strategic Energy Partnership with Coventry City Council has already delivered £1.6 million in social value, created local jobs and engaged thousands of young people in net zero skills.

This is the blueprint: decarbonisation and community benefit advancing together.

Beyond carbon: tackling inequality, improving wellbeing, strengthening resilience

Throughout the discussion, the panel spoke about Net Zero through a social value lens – a perspective that threw up a much wider set of outcomes.

Ellie, from DSIT, was particularly compelling on this issue.

She highlighted the stark reality that 1.6 million people in the UK lack access to technology – a barrier now affecting everything from job opportunities to participation in the green economy.

Her work on digital inclusion and circular IT demonstrates that social value is not a side-benefit of climate action, it is an absolute enabler of it.

Circular economy principles, skills, access to technology, and energy resilience all reinforce one another.

When designed well, Net Zero can tackle inequality, improve wellbeing and strengthen community resilience simultaneously.

Embedding Net Zero across the whole organisation

Jon brought the operational perspective by asking: “How do you embed Net Zero beyond procurement into the day-to-day functions of business?”

His view was refreshingly candid.

Product teams, HR, legal, finance, commercial and senior leadership all have a role to play in this – and without this whole-organisation alignment, social value risks becoming performative rather than transformative.

He laid out eight practical steps for businesses, spanning transparency, carbon measurement, supplier engagement and internal education.

But his most powerful message was cultural: “Radical collaboration – including with competitors – is essential if we’re serious about Net Zero.”

It’s a point many in the audience nodded to.

Decarbonisation cannot be achieved in silos.

Transparency, accountability and designing for place

All four panellists underscored the need for transparency.

It isn’t enough to commit to outcomes.

Communities, suppliers and clients increasingly expect robust measurement and honest reporting.

As Jess noted, trust is built not through rhetoric but through delivery.

The conversation also repeatedly returned to place.

Place-based approaches – rooted in local needs and designed with communities and their futures in mind – consistently produce more durable, inclusive impacts.

For Ellie, this means understanding how digital access differs region to region.

For Richard, it means building local talent pipelines.

For Jon and Jess, it means involving local suppliers in long-term decarbonisation projects.

At E.ON, we’ve seen this first-hand through our work in Coventry and our partnership with Nottingham Forest, where community programmes, sustainability and local skills sit side by side.

A shared conclusion: social value and Net Zero accelerate each other

Our panel ended where it began: with partnership.

Across sectors, across supply chains, across communities – the future of social value and Net Zero is collaborative, transparent and place-led.

It requires a skilled workforce, inclusive digital access, strong local ecosystems and organisations willing to embed purpose into everyday decisions.

As I said during the session, and as I believe even more strongly now: “We believe the transition to a cleaner, fairer energy system must work for every household, business, and community. This belief sits at the heart of our purpose: to make new energy work.”

But 2025 must be the year we turn intent into infrastructure – and start building the future with partnership at the forefront of our minds and skillsets.