SME Climate Hub

The SME Climate Hub aims to help small businesses deliver on their climate goals and have developed free, practical resources that they say are specifically tailored to support SMEs on their net zero journey, largely through strategic emission reductions and opportunities for climate leadership.

Businesses can calculate their emissions with the Business Carbon Calculator, learn how to take action with the Climate Fit education course, and access support through the Financial Support guide and 1.5°C Business Playbook.

The research claims that such measures can help companies reduce their overheads as well as have a positive environmental impact. For example:

• switching to Electrical Vehicles can cut running costs but also lower servicing and maintenance costs by around 40% compared to petrol or diesel cars;
• with up to half of companies’ overall electricity bill coming from lighting, making changes such as switching to LED bulbs can help reduce bills by up to 40%;
• giving drivers fuel efficiency training can help save companies an average of 15% on fuel use and carbon emissions in transporting goods.

The new support is aimed particularly at the 5.5 million SMEs in the UK. 90% of these businesses have reported they are keen to tackle climate change but find it difficult to know how or where to start in finding ways to do so.

Studies also show 85% of consumers are more likely to buy from a business with a reputation for sustainability, meaning going green can help businesses grow, and help the economy as well.

The SME Climate Hub has also partnered with Oxford University to provide a range of external tools for additional support taking action on climate change.

You can find those tools and resources here.