New Global Initiative Presses for Small Business Climate Action with Support of UN Climate Champion 

The SME Climate Hub rallies stakeholders across business, government and NGO communities to engage 10,000 small and medium sized businesses on climate action ahead of COP29. 

[New York, NY – September 5, 2024] — The SME Climate Hub launched its SME Climate Ambition Drive, a global campaign aimed at galvanizing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to commit to reducing their carbon emissions and joining the Race to Zero through the SME Climate Hub.  

Early supporters of the campaign include IKEA, B Lab, Cambridge University’s Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) and WBCSD’s The Climate Drive.

In collaboration with the UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP29 Azerbaijan, Nigar Arpadarai, this initiative seeks to mobilize stakeholders to encourage small business in their networks, programs or value chains to make the SME Climate Commitment on the SME Climate Hub.  

Collectively, these organizations, known as campaign Supporters, are rallying to bring 10,000 SMEs on board to the SME Climate Commitment before COP29, scheduled to be held in Azerbaijan in November 2024. 

SMEs represent 90% of businesses globally, employ 70% of the world’s workforce and contribute over 50% of the global GDP. Their collective impact on climate change is significant; despite individual emissions being small, recent estimates from the OECD and European Commission highlight that SMEs contribute between 50% and 64% of total business sector emissions. As such, their participation in global climate action is crucial for achieving the goal of global net-zero and increasing their own resilience. 

“Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of the global economy and essential to reaching a net-zero, resilient future for all,” said Nigar Arpadarai, the UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP29 Azerbaijan. “Enabling SMEs to take ambitious climate action is my core priority ahead of COP29. I am pleased to support the launch of the SME Climate Ambition Drive – working with all actors to support SMEs in taking urgent and decisive action by joining the Race to Zero, as a key pillar of my Climate Proofing SMEs campaign.” 

The current economic landscape poses challenges for SMEs, who are often resource-constrained and focused on immediate operational needs. Through the SME Climate Ambition Drive, the SME Climate Hub calls for broader ecosystem support to provide the necessary encouragement and incentives for SMEs to prioritize climate action. The SME Climate Hub’s free tools and resources enable these stakeholders to support smaller businesses at scale, helping SMEs to integrate climate action into their operations. 

The SME Climate Ambition Drive is open to all stakeholders, including large corporations, financial institutions, governments, trade associations, NGOs, and SMEs themselves, that want to participate in this crucial initiative. By joining as a campaign Supporter, organizations agree to mobilize and empower their SMEs towards net zero through the SME Climate Hub and inspire them to take climate action. 

Supporters will be helped by the SME Climate Hub to reduce their value chain emissions and aid SMEs within their networks. Through the SME Climate Ambition Drive, campaign Supporters can access  resources for net zero action, including: 

• Free tools specifically tailored for SMEs to make a globally recognized climate commitment, take action to reduce emissions and measure progress towards net zero 

• Exclusive SME Climate Ambition Drive webinars to learn best practices for SME engagement and SME climate action 

• Opportunities for campaign Supporters and their SMEs to position themselves as climate leaders through case studies and event representation at Climate Week NYC and COP29 

”As countries are developing the next round of NDCs and the supporting policies that will come with them, clear plans to support SMEs are going to be key to ensure we leave no one behind in the transition.  As we approach COP29, it’s imperative that leading small and medium-sized businesses globally take responsibility and make the SME Climate Commitment,” said María Mendiluce, CEO of the We Mean Business Coalition, the host organization of the SME Climate Hub. ”However, their effort will not be successful without the active support of national governments, organizations, and corporations. They must take bold steps to incentivize and reward responsible SMEs within their value chains and networks. Only through this collective effort can we mobilize SMEs at a scale that can have impact in the net zero future.” 

For more information on how to join as a Supporter of the SME Climate Ambition Drive, visit https://bit.ly/3AOf7HP  

Small and medium- sized businesses can make the SME Climate Commitment here: https://bit.ly/3MA5v68  

About the SME Climate Hub 

The SME Climate Hub is an initiative of the We Mean Business Coalition, the global nonprofit catalyzing business and policy action to halve global emissions by 2030. The initiative was co-founded and is operated in partnership with the Exponential Roadmap Initiative and the UN Climate Change High Level Champion’s Race to Zero campaign. Through its free tools and resources, the SME Climate Hub enables small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to make a climate commitment, take action and measure their progress towards emissions reductions.​ The SME Climate Commitment is the official pathway for SMEs to join the global Race to Zero campaign. 

About We Mean Business Coalition 

We Mean Business Coalition works with the world’s most influential businesses to take action on climate change. The Coalition is a group of seven nonprofit organizations: BSR, CDP, Ceres, Climate Group, CLG Europe, The B Team and WBCSD. Together, we catalyze business and policy action to halve emissions by 2030 and accelerate an inclusive transition to a net-zero economy. Find out more at wemeanbusinesscoalition.org. 

About UN Climate Change High Level Champions 

At the COP21 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, governments agreed that mobilizing stronger and more ambitious climate action was urgently required to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. To connect the work of governments with the many voluntary and collaborative actions taken by cities, regions, businesses and investors, nations decided to appoint two High-Level Champions. The Champions are mandated to accelerate climate action, enhance ambition and strengthen the engagement of non-State actors in supporting Parties, working with the Marrakech Partnership, to deliver the goals of the Paris Agreement. H.E. Ms. Razan Al Mubarak and H.E. Ms. Nigar Arpadarai are the UN Climate Change High-Level Champions for COP28 and COP29. 

About Race to Zero 

Race to Zero is an umbrella campaign led by the High Level Champions. It brings together over 25 Partners including the SME Climate Hub, to mobilise the largest coalition of non-state actors taking action to play their part in halving global emissions by 2030 and reaching net-zero by 2050 at the latest. Since its launch in 2020, partners of the campaign have rallied over 14,000 cities, businesses, SMEs, financial institutions, regional governments and more, to join the Race and take action towards a fairer, healther, net-zero future.