10 December 2020

The SME Climate Hub has joined forces with Oxford University to provide small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with tools and resources to help them take climate action.

Ahead of the 5th anniversary of the Paris Agreement signing, the freely available tools and resources are specially selected for SMEs to reduce carbon emissions, build business resilience and gain a competitive advantage, and help them achieve the Paris Agreement goals.

As the world reflects on progress on climate action since the Paris Agreement signing, it is clear that action by SMEs is an essential part of accelerating the transition to a net-zero emissions global economy.

The SME Climate Hub is co-hosted by ICC, the Exponential Roadmap Initiative, the We Mean Business coalition and the United Nations Race to Zero campaign. The SME Climate Hub is made possible by the We Mean Business coalition’s partnership with Amazon. It aims to mobilise and support millions of SMEs to build business resilience by providing a one-stop shop for SMEs to make an internationally recognised climate commitment, access tools and resources and benefit from incentives designed to make it easier than ever for SMEs to cut carbon emissions, bring innovative green solutions to market and build business resilience.

Developed in collaboration with Oxford University’s Net Zero Climate Research and Engagement Team, the new practical tools and resources launched today on the SME Climate Hub will support SMEs to curb emissions and build business resilience. SMEs will now be able to take advantage of accessible tools and resources to help them achieve the SME Climate Commitment — halving emissions before 2030, achieving net zero emissions before 2050 and tracking progress annually. These tools and resources will allow SMEs to measure and manage emissions, increase resource efficiency and lower overheads, track and communicate progress and access climate action resources and services.

SMEs from 31 countries in all continents, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Ghana, India, Mauritius, Mexico, Philippines, Sweden, South Africa, Uganda, the United States and the United Kingdom have already made the SME Climate Commitment and can now access practical tools and resources on the SME Climate Hub to help them start to take concrete action to future-proof their businesses.

Several major multinational corporations, including Ericsson, IKEA, Telia, BT Group, Unilever and Nestlé, that have set targets to halve emissions before 2030 and reach net-zero emissions in their value chains, have also committed to support the SME Climate Hub through a “1.5°C Supply Chain Leaders” group. These companies have made a firm commitment to include climate-related targets and performance in their supplier purchasing criteria — and to work with the SMEs in their supply chain to halve emissions before 2030 and deliver net-zero greenhouse emissions before 2050. They will also provide concrete tools, share knowledge and exchange best practices for implementing robust climate strategies through the SME Climate Hub.

Ahead of the next round of climate negotiations (COP26) in Glasgow in November 2021, small and medium-sized businesses from around the world are being encouraged to make the SME Climate Commitment to both show leadership on climate action and benefit directly from a more sustainable business strategy.

Visit smeclimatehub.org