SMBs make up 99 % of the world ’ s businesses so it is essential that they are part of the conversation around sustainability . But with smaller budgets and fewer tech tools , it can be hard for SMBs to know where to start . Elisa Moscolin , EVP of Sustainability & Society at Sage , discusses how SMBs can start and progress on their sustainability journey .

SMBS ARE 99 % OF THE WORLD ’ S BUSINESSES , SO TO LEAVE THEM

OUT OF THE CONVERSATION

IS A BLOW TO THE CAUSE .

024 MARKED THE 54th World

Earth Day – and while we can say a lot about the progress we ’ ve made as a society , or not , what I ’ m left thinking about is the principle that Earth . org , the creators of World Earth Day , run on – collective action . It ’ s what I , as a business / sustainability leader , aim for when we ’ re solving problems as big as the existential threat our planet faces . But despite all our calls to collective action , I often see one group not being prioritised in conversations around how we get to a more sustainable world : small- and medium-sized businesses ( SMBs ).

SMBs are 99 % of the world ’ s businesses , so to leave them out of the conversation is a blow to the cause . Most importantly , we know they want to participate : our research tells us that that 83 % of SMBs want to prioritise sustainability – they understand how it can make their businesses more resilient , especially in today ’ s climate of economic uncertainty – but they feel stymied by lack of know-how , funding and tech tools to help them measure their impact , leading to analysis paralysis and an inability to start taking action .

And that makes sense – we already know that running an SMB is hard work , but then to also expect SMB managers to become sustainability reporting leaders , climate scientists and green financing experts is unreasonable .

So , what can cash-strapped , time- and knowledge-poor SMBs do to kick-start their sustainability journey ?

Understand your climate footprint – and then set goals to help reduce it

An SMB ’ s climate footprint is a big part of its sustainability efforts , so the first step an SMB owner can take is to understand the business ’ hotspots – what part of the business is creating the most emissions ? Once they have that information , SMB owners and managers can then prioritise actions that will have the highest impact on impact reduction , which will look different for every business .

Trying to establish and execute against net zero targets can feel overwhelming , but setting incremental targets that focus on the most material activities is a great way to ensure progress is being made . Resources like the SMB Climate Hub , a non-profit global initiative , provides guidance on how small businesses can set net zero targets , measure their emissions and develop climate strategies . Tools like Sage Earth can also help on measurement .

34 intelligent

. tech

Intelligent SME . tech