A Penzance Firm Just Borrowed £63,000 to Grow Across Cornwall

Andrew Moss Robinson had already opened a second office in Plymouth when he went looking for funding. Demand for what his Penzance consultancy does was rising faster than he could meet it, and the businesses knocking on his door were not the sort he could turn away.

His company, Carbon Sense, helps small and medium-sized firms work out their carbon footprint, then bring it down and report on it. The £63,000 loan he secured through SWIG Finance has gone into growing the team and the marketing behind it. The early signs suggest the timing was right.

What Carbon Sense actually does

The pitch is simple. More businesses are being asked to prove they are cutting their emissions, and most have no idea where to begin.

“It’s clear that more businesses are recognising the value of taking action on sustainability,” Andrew said. “Whether it’s for tenders, customer requirements or supply chain expectations, organisations are increasingly being asked to demonstrate what they’re doing to reduce their carbon emissions.”

The work is not only about the environment, either. Cutting energy use saves money, and for a smaller firm that can be the difference between winning a contract and losing one.

“Our belief is that all businesses should be able to be as sustainable as possible,” Andrew said. “We work with businesses to unlock efficiencies, making sustainability work financially for them, and I also give start-up businesses advice on how to be ‘born’ sustainable, rather than launching and having to change things down the line.”

The Cornwall clients on the books

Some familiar names have already used the service. Carbon Sense helped Smile Together community dental care align with NHS supply frameworks, and worked with The Cinnamon Trust to switch to a green energy supply while bringing overall consumption down.

It has produced full product carbon footprints for CJ Medical, and delivered carbon accounting alongside a Net Zero Strategy for Truro City Council.

Andrew brought in an experienced sustainability specialist last year, widening what the company could offer. Five new SME clients have signed up across Cornwall and Devon in recent months. March 2026 was the strongest month the business has had, and it is on track to grow 25% on the year before.

Where the money came from

The £63,000 loan was made up of two parts. £36,000 came from the British Business Bank’s South West Investment Fund, with a further £27,000 from the Community Investment Enterprise Fund.

Some of it went straight into growth plans. The rest refinanced an earlier loan on better terms, which has lowered the monthly repayments.

The South West Investment Fund is worth £200m and covers the whole region, offering loans from £25k to £2m and equity investment up to £5m. The Community Investment Enterprise Fund is a £10 million facility backed by Triodos Bank and Better Society Capital, channelled to SWIG Finance through Social Investment Scotland. It sits within a wider £72 million initiative aimed at supporting micro and small businesses across England and Wales.

SWIG Finance manages the smaller loans across the region. Andrew was put in touch with the lender’s business manager, Rachel Thomson, through the business support service Oxford Innovation.

“Rachel was very efficient and really understood our business model,” Andrew said. “She explained everything well, kept me very well informed throughout the whole process and worked at my pace.

“The investment means we can accelerate what we are doing around marketing and sales, providing additional finance to market the business and dedicate time to our website. And we’ve lowered our monthly payments which provides added peace of mind while we grow the business and, in time, take on more people.”

Rachel Thomson said the service fills a genuine gap. “We all have a responsibility to reduce our carbon usage but often don’t know where to start. Carbon Sense can offer that support for businesses.”

Lizzy Upton, Senior Investment Manager for the British Business Bank, said the company was responding to real demand across the region. “This investment will help the company continue its growth, enabling more businesses to take practical steps towards net zero and embed sustainability from the outset.”