CISL and the SME Climate Hub

The SME Climate Hub is a global community and online resource platform for small and medium size businesses looking to transition to the green economy.

SMEs represent 90% of business globally, employing 2 billion people. An initiative of the International Chamber of Commerce, the Exponential Roadmap Initiative, the We Mean Business coalition and the United Nations Race to Zero campaign, the SME Climate Hub aims to support millions of SMEs to halve greenhouse gas emissions before 2030 and achieve net zero emissions before 2050. Resources available through the Hub will include guidance on business strategies and financial support, and tools for measuring and reporting emissions.

The economy drives sustainability or unsustainability through the ‘goods’ and ‘bads’ it produces. Within the economy, small businesses are where many decisions and choices are made – and where jobs and services are created and delivered.  

Clare Shine, Director & CEO, CISL

In partnership with Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), CISL have developed two resources that are available for free on the SME Climate Hub:

Climate Fit: net zero training for SMEs

Climate Fit is a free online training course to help small and medium businesses reduce their carbon emissions as they join the collective race to net zero. Developed by the CISL Accelerator team, and Business for Social Responsibility (BSR™), the course aims to equip SMEs with the knowledge and practical skills to take action on climate change.

Through a series of self paced modules, Climate Fit guides SMEs through the decarbonisation journey breaking it down in to seven achievable steps:

  1. Governance and strategy: Incorporate sustainability into the heart of your business strategy and identify where you can make the most impact
  2. Operations: Discover how to improve your energy efficiency, cut emissions and implement renewable energy
  3. Supply chain: Integrate climate considerations into your standard procurement processes
  4. Design: Learn how to apply a life cycle thinking approach to design, make smart material choices and design for best performance with minimal impact
  5. Finance: Build a solid business case and discover how to secure green financing.
  6. People and communities: Engage and inspire your employees first, then your community, and bring people with you on your net zero journey
  7. Net zero storytelling: Communicate progress and goals with different audiences, aligning this with your business’s mission and vision

Available for free to small and medium businesses world wide.

Financial support for reducing emissions

The Banking Environment Initiative at CISL, in partnership with the Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), have created resources to help businesses understand and obtain financial support to reduce their emissions.

The first of these resources, due to be published in 2022, will provide businesses with information about:

  1. Where they can obtain financial support and how
  2. What they can ask banks and buyers to obtain financial support
  3. Examples where finance is provided to support an emissions reduction plan

BEI and BSR will also be collaborating further to create resources that support SMEs with the financial aspect of moving toward net zero emissions.