Report your progress
The SME Reporting Tool enables committed SMEs to report on their emissions
The SME Reporting Tool is closed for updates and improvements between April 2, 2024 and June 4, 2024.
The SME Reporting Tool helps small businesses create annual greenhouse gas emission reports and track their reduction efforts. Tailored for SMEs and originated from the SME Climate Disclosure Framework, the reported data can be used in your business reports, websites, or shared with stakeholders.
Reporting on progress
The importance of reporting
Reporting on key actions and initiatives a company is taking to reduce its emissions is important for understanding what the company is doing to meet its targets and the impact of its initiatives on the company’s emissions.
The SME Reporting Tool
The SME Reporting Tool is provided as a free resource to enable SMEs to create a climate report summarizing their annual greenhouse gas emissions, including the actions they are taking and the impact of their emissions reduction effort.
Sharing progress publicly
The report and its data can be integrated into annual business reports, shared on company websites, or directly distributed to customers and funders.
Reporting in line with requirements
01 Required fields
The tool highlights mandatory fields which are required in order to disclose progress in line with the SME Climate Commitment and United Nations’ Race to Zero starting line criteria.
02 Optional fields
The tools also includes non-mandatory fields, aiming to support SMEs climate strategies and highlighting key areas like getting a loan and articulating the impact of green products or services.
03 Uploading external reports
SMEs can also upload their own Sustainability reports, confirming that they have provided a report which is publicly available and fulfils requirements.
Other resources
What you can do today:
Find the answers to your questions
What are the reporting requirements for companies that have joined the SME Climate Hub and UN Race to Zero?
An important part of the SME Climate Commitment is to disclose progress on a yearly basis. To continue as SME Climate Hub committed companies and members of the United Nations Race to Zero campaign, SMEs are required to publicly report on progress against short-term and long-term targets as well as actions taken, through an annual climate report.
In what form can businesses report their emissions to the SME Climate Hub?
Businesses can use the free SME Reporting Tool, developed specifically for SMEs. The tool helps complete a report summary, which is submitted to the SME Climate Hub and can be shared with various stakeholders.
When should SMEs provide their first climate report?
SMEs that joined from January 2022 onwards shall provide their first progress report within 12 months of making the SME Climate Commitment. If they need more time to complete their report, they can send an email to [email protected] to be granted an extension of up to 6 months. SMEs that joined the SME Climate Hub in 2020 or 2021 must provide their first report by July 2023.
What will happen if an SME does not provide a climate report?
SMEs who fail to provide their report will no longer be counted amongst SME Climate Hub committed businesses and will be removed from the SME Climate Hub website and the UN Race to Zero website. As highlighted above, the SME Climate Hub will provide committed SMEs with reasonable time to meet the reporting requirements.
What are the mandatory reporting requirements?
The SME Reporting Tool contains mandatory questions, in line with SME Climate Hub requirements, which are anchored in the United Nations Race to Zero starting line criteria:
- Report on own emissions – Scope 1 & 2
- Comments on significant value chain emissions – Scope 3
Plan and actions to reduce own and value chain emissions – Scope 1, 2 and 3 - Comments on progress – explanations of deviation from the target trajectory to halve emissions by 2030, and information about the actions being taken in order to reach the target and any help required to remove blockers
- Up-to-date information for the most recent calendar year (or financial reporting year)
What are the optional reporting requirements?
The SME Reporting Tool also includes highly recommended but non-mandatory questions, which provide an opportunity to report on the company’s overall climate strategy and progress. Non-mandatory questions include:
- Quantification of value chain emissions (Scope 3)
- Management and strategy
- Climate solutions (solutions which enable the business’s customers to avoid or remove emissions)
Will the report be publicly accessible?
The data provided through the SME Reporting Tool will be made public through the SME Climate Hub website. Note that sensitive company information such as contact details will not be disclosed. Participating SMEs will be able to access their full report and data through their SME Climate Hub dashboard.
Will the SME Climate Hub check the quality of the report?
The SME Climate Hub will automatically check that the mandatory data has been provided if the company reports through the SME Reporting Tool.
SMEs are responsible for the quality of their own data. The SME Climate Hub does not take responsibility for reviewing the content in the reports but will select sample reports to review at a high level, including reports produced through the SME Reporting Tool and other public reports submitted. These reviews are for internal quality control only and will not constitute external review or verification.
What happens if there are errors or missing data in the report?
The quality of the data is the responsibility of the business completing the report. If an SME identifies significant errors or missing data after completing their report through the SME Climate Hub, they will be able to send an email to [email protected] and request a change-out of the previous report to a corrected version.