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Image credit: Sustainable Wedding Alliance

In surprising corners of the UK economy, two organisations are reshaping how their industries think about sustainability.

The Sustainable Wedding Alliance and Full Circle Funerals operate in arguably opposite sectors. One celebrates love; one celebrates life.

Yet both businesses have used Carbon Literacy to position themselves as leaders in their fields, shaping how entire industries capitalise on the opportunities the green economy has to offer.

Their experiences highlight how climate understanding, when grounded in day-to-day practice, can unlock growth, strengthen networks, and give businesses a clear voice in shaping their sector’s future.

Grounding climate action in real-world practice

In January 2024, Sarah Jones, Director at Full Circle Funerals, attended Carbon Literacy training delivered by Lighthouse Sustainability. It was a ‘game-changer’, helping to make sense of the bigger picture while keeping decisions rooted in the realities of their work.

Within a year, Full Circle Funerals developed two accredited Carbon Literacy courses, one designed specifically for funeral professionals, celebrants and sector leaders, and certified their entire team as Carbon Literate.

Their accredited Funeralcare Carbon Literacy Training reflects the complexities of funeral care, speaking directly to the choices people make in their roles and the sensitivities of the sector.

Since October 2024, Full Circle has delivered the training across the profession, working with independent funeral directors, celebrants, bereavement specialists, and national trade associations. They are now supporting industry bodies to develop their own Carbon Literacy training, helping embed climate understanding more widely across funeral care.

Setting the direction of a sector

In the wedding industry, the Sustainable Wedding Alliance has taken a similar approach, placing Carbon Literacy at the centre of how it engages and supports businesses.

Founded in 2020 and led by Michelle Miles, the Alliance has built its work around the idea that sustainability should be practical, credible and embedded into everyday business decisions.

Their Carbon Literacy Training for Wedding Professionals reflects this. It focuses on the kinds of choices wedding businesses face, from sourcing materials to managing energy use and working with suppliers. The aim is to give professionals the confidence to act, rather than leaving them unsure where to begin.

This approach has contributed to the Sustainable Wedding Alliance recently being recognised as part of the Green Growth 100, an initiative led by Small Business Britain in partnership with BT Group to spotlight small businesses successfully using sustainability as a core driver of growth.

In 2025, the Alliance received the CLAD Catalyst Award for its efforts to ‘Connect, Collaborate and Cascade’ Carbon Literacy through its Carbon Literacy Action Day initiative. The training brought together a mix of voices from across the wedding industry, including representatives from the UK Wedding Association.

The session also included those involved in the day-to-day running of a venue, alongside suppliers such as a local flower farm. This created space for conversations that reflected how the industry actually operates, connecting decisions made at different points in the supply chain.

By working in this way, the Alliance is helping shape how sustainability is understood and delivered across the wedding sector.

Building confidence and reducing overwhelm

A common thread between both organisations is how they address the sense of uncertainty that often surrounds climate action.

In busy organisations, the pressure to respond to competing and particularly unfamiliar and complex challenges, like climate change, can be overwhelming and difficult to navigate. Carbon Literacy offers a way through this by providing a clear foundation and linking it to practical decisions that not only cut carbon and meet customer expectations for more sustainable services but also benefit the bottom line.

For Full Circle Funerals, this has meant supporting professionals to make informed choices that sit within the values and realities of funeral care. While the Sustainable Wedding Alliance has helped wedding professionals see how sustainability can be integrated into their work in ways that are achievable and relevant.

Whatever the sector, when people understand why change matters and how it connects to their role, they are more able to take action and to influence others.

Strengthening networks, community and social value

Carbon Literacy training creates space for people to come together, share experiences and reflect on common challenges, building a sense of shared direction. This creates not only stronger sector relationships but also stronger communities.

Across the UK, the Sustainable Wedding Alliance is fostering connections between venues, suppliers, and wedding industry bodies. These relationships provide ongoing support and encouragement, helping carry ideas forward and support more consistent approaches to sustainability in the local business community.

In Yorkshire, Full Circle Funerals is contributing to a growing network of individuals and organisations connected through local training and partnerships. Their second accredited Carbon Literacy course, for people and organisations across Yorkshire, along with their partnership with Zero Carbon Harrogate, has created opportunities for more people to become Carbon Literate while strengthening local climate action.

Becoming an influencer in your niche

Carbon Literacy has given both of these organisations a framework to understand climate change and a language to communicate about it. From there, they have created training, partnerships, and spaces that help define what sustainability looks like in their respective fields.

Their work shows how Carbon Literacy can support businesses to take on a leadership role within their niche, guiding others and contributing to a broader shift in how their sector responds to our changing climate, its challenges, but also its opportunities.

Full Circle Funerals was recently accredited as a Silver Carbon Literate Organisation. The Sustainable Wedding Alliance was accredited as a Bronze Carbon Literate Organisation in 2025. Both organisations are first in their industry to achieve this recognition.

Learn about the accreditation pathway supporting these organisations to lead in their fields. Find out more about Carbon Literate Organisation accreditation.