SMEs
Every business has a role to play in tackling climate change
Small and medium-sized businesses make up around 90% of businesses worldwide and more than half of global employment*. Collectively, they are also estimated to account for around half of global business-sector greenhouse gas emissions.
That makes action from SMEs an essential part of tackling climate change
But knowing where to start can still feel complex. What should you measure? Which targets are credible? Where should you focus first? And how do you communicate what you are doing with confidence?
Climate Impact Partners helps make that journey clearer - with practical tools, trusted climate projects and expert support that can grow with your business.
Good for the planet. Good for business.
Taking climate action is about reducing your impact and contributing to the transition to a lower-carbon economy. Done well, it can also help build a stronger, more resilient business.
Build resilience
Better understand your exposure to changing markets, regulation, energy costs and climate-related risks.
Find opportunities to cut emissions and costs
Measuring your footprint can reveal opportunities to reduce energy use, waste and inefficiency.
Meet customer and supply-chain expectations
Respond to growing expectations from customers and larger organisations that increasingly want their suppliers to understand and act on their emissions.
Strengthen your business and brand
Demonstrate credible climate action to employees, customers and other stakeholders and make it a positive part of your business story.
Make a wider impact
Go beyond your own footprint by financing high-quality climate projects that deliver benefits for climate, nature and communities.
Carbon credits deliver business value too
In our 2026 research, 90% of current carbon credit buyers said credits delivered against their organisation’s aims to a great or very great extent. Reported benefits included increased brand trust, revenue growth, stronger reputation and customer acquisition.
Practical steps. Credible climate action.
You don’t need to solve everything at once. Start with the actions that make sense for your business today and build from there as your needs and ambitions develop.
Calculate your footprint and take action online
Our Business Carbon Footprint Calculator is a great place to start. It gives SMEs a simple way to calculate their carbon footprint and buy carbon credits online.
Answer a few straightforward questions to estimate your emissions, understand the scale of your footprint and choose high-quality carbon credits from projects selected by Climate Impact Partners.
It’s a practical first step, with wider expert support available as your climate strategy develops.
How to take climate action: a guide for SMEs
Not sure where to start? Our practical guide breaks climate action down into manageable steps.
FAQs
- Where should my business start?
A good first step is understanding your emissions.
Our Business Carbon Footprint Calculator helps you estimate your business footprint and identify the scale of your impact. From there, you can start reducing emissions and buy high-quality carbon credits online to finance climate action beyond your own business.
- What does the Business Carbon Footprint Calculator include?
The calculator asks for information about key sources of emissions across your business and uses this to estimate your carbon footprint.
It is designed to give smaller businesses a practical starting point for understanding their impact and taking action.
- Should we reduce emissions before buying carbon credits?
Reducing emissions within your own operations and value chain should be an important part of your climate strategy.
High-quality carbon credits can complement that action by financing verified climate projects while your business continues to reduce emissions over time.
- How do I know which carbon credits to choose?
Quality matters.
Every project we sell must pass Climate Impact Partners' due diligence process. We assess project quality, carbon integrity, risk and wider impacts so you can select credits from projects you can stand behind.
You can start with the projects available through our Business Carbon Footprint Calculator, or speak to us if you need a more tailored portfolio.
- Can you help us go beyond carbon credits?
Yes. As your strategy develops, we can help you explore a wider range of climate solutions, including Energy Attribute Certificates (EACs), Sustainable Aviation Fuel certificates (SAFc) and helping you achieve specific claims and certifications.
- Can you help us decide what climate claim to make?
Yes. The right approach depends on your goals, the action you are taking, where you operate and how you want to communicate it.
We can help you navigate carbon neutrality, contribution claims and other frameworks, as well as evolving standards and regulation.
- Do you provide communications support?
Yes. We support SMEs in communicating their climate action clearly and accurately.
That can include project storytelling, internal communications, customer and stakeholder materials, and reviewing external climate communications to help ensure claims are accurate and consistent with the approach you have taken.
- Can our approach grow as our business grows?
Yes. You can start with footprint measurement and purchasing carbon credits online, then develop a more sophisticated approach as your climate goals and requirements evolve.
*Source: World Bank Group, SMEs Finance
