Below280 is a newly launched UK sustainability consultancy specialising in LCA, EPD, and CBAM compliance services for manufacturers. It spun out of Decerna, with roots going back to Narec in 2010, and positions itself as a specialist alternative to generalist sustainability firms.
Below280 Launches to Help Manufacturers Navigate the New Era of Environmental Compliance
A specialist consultancy focused on LCA, EPD, and CBAM is entering the market at exactly the right moment
Cramlington, 18 March 2026 — Below280 has officially launched as a dedicated sustainability consultancy built to help manufacturers understand, measure, and communicate the environmental impact of their products.
The name says it all. 280 parts per million is the pre-industrial CO₂ baseline, the world before significant human induced climate change. Below280 exists to help businesses take the steps that actually move the needle back.
With growing pressure from the EU and UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) and rising demand for verified Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), manufacturers are facing a compliance landscape more complex than ever. Below280 was created specifically to cut through that complexity, offering Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), EPD certification support, and CBAM compliance services under one roof.
As modern methods of construction and sustainable building claims come under scrutiny, LCA is fast becoming the proof that backs them up.
Unlike generalist sustainability consultancies, Below280 brings deep technical expertise to a focused set of services; meaning clients get specialists, not generalists, working on the issues that matter most to their business right now. Below280 is open for business and working with manufacturers across the globe.
Below280 has a strong history of LCA, existing as part of the sustainability consultancy Decerna since 2012, and prior to that, being the LCA services of Narec since 2010.
For enquiries, visit www.below280.com or contact info@below280.com
Technical Context
LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) — A methodology that quantifies the environmental impact of a product across its entire life, from raw material extraction to end of life. Governed by ISO 14040/14044.
EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) — A standardised, third-party verified document that communicates a product's LCA results publicly. Required increasingly by procurement frameworks, green building schemes (like BREEAM), and construction clients.
CBAM (Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism) — An EU regulation that puts a carbon price on imports of certain goods (steel, cement, aluminium, fertilisers, hydrogen, electricity) entering the EU. UK manufacturers exporting to the EU need to report and potentially pay for the embedded carbon in their products. A UK version is also in development.
The 280 ppm reference — Atmospheric CO₂ sat at roughly 280 parts per million before industrialisation. It's now above 420 ppm. The name is a direct nod to that gap and what the company is trying to help close.
"The regulations and requirements are coming whether businesses are ready or not. Below280 exists to make sure they are. We have a strong history of delivering LCA, starting out as part of Narec, and then Decerna, and now as an independent company. If you want high quality LCA studies that can help you not only fit with regulations, but make active changes to your product, this is what we do,"
— Tom Bradley, Director at Below280
About Below280
In 2003, the UK National Renewable Energy Centre was founded in Blyth, Northumberland. Then, in 2008, the Distributed Energy department was founded, focusing on LCA and onshore renewable energy. As Narec transitioned into ORE Catapult, the Distributed Energy department spun out as a separate company, which was eventually called Decerna. Decerna evolved into Decerna Group, providing a wide range of services to the sustainability sector, acting as both a consultancy and a developer. By 2026, the range of services had become so diverse it made sense to then separate the LCA services off as a separate company, that is, Below280.
