The following is an extract from on-going discussions which started in October 2008 between Nick Gould, a corporate partner at Ince & Co, International Law firm, and several other interested parties. The matter has gained particular prominence this week following an article by Sir Kenneth Mac Donald a previous director of Public Prosecutor in The Times. Nick Gould is a partner in the City law firm and had spent much of the last two years or so gaining some understanding of a major piece of commercial legislation entitled “The Companies Act 2006”; the largest piece of legislation ever brought into UK law, consisting of some 1,300 sections, 16 schedules and,  200 pages of explanatory notes as well as numerous Ministerial statements, written statements, ‘Regulatory Impact Assessments’, briefs and dozens of statutory instruments to date. The Act took more than eight years of review, research and lobbying to produce, finally reaching the statute books in late 2006. It will take the best...

SMEs make a vital contribution to our economy - they are huge sources of jobs, innovation and are essential to our communities. But when we talk about the low-carbon economy of the future, it is all too often large businesses that lead the way. In these difficult economic times, many small and medium-sized businesses may well be missing opportunities to not only reduce their cost, but also to open up to new possibilities in the low-carbon economy. We believe that this can largely be explained by the confusing and often contradictory information that is out there - not to any failing on the part of SMEs. Tomorrow's Company works with and for the business community to develop effective solutions to the problems companies face: we have created this guide in partnership with companies, government departments and organisations to assist leaders of businesses large and small, to make the low-carbon transition in a way that makes good business sense and helps secure future business...

Later this year, the Government will launch a package to help SMEs better understand and respond to the opportunities and risks posed by the move to the low carbon economy as part of their UK Low Carbon Industrial Strategy. The package will consist of four key elements. One of which will be a guide for business, by business, on the uptake, development and marketing of low carbon solutions, to be produced this autumn, by Tomorrow’s Company, in partnership with businesses, Government and other organisations.  The guide is being supported by Halcrow, HSBC, Ogilvy & Mather, Marks & Spencer and the Carbon Trust, among others. This is laid out on page 74 of the document.