Engaging the value chain in carbon reduction

Company news

Last updated: 25. Mar 2024

Product: Value chain engagement

The Business Carbon Calculator helps reduce the carbon footprints of SMEs & the corporations they supply.

Sandra Uddbäck

Head of Product

Table of Contents

With support from Google.org and in partnership with the UN-backed SME Climate Hub, we’re launching Business Carbon Calculator: a tool helping small businesses understand their emissions so they can jumpstart their carbon reduction journeys.

In the global fight against climate change, it’s crucial to engage every business in the race to net zero emissions – including small businesses. 

As a category, small businesses have a large carbon footprint, due in part to their prevalence in the value chains of larger companies. But with limited funding and staff, small businesses face an uphill battle to achieve carbon reduction.

Business Carbon Calculator aims to help businesses overcome these obstacles. It’s optimized for smaller businesses with up to 50 employees and a turnover of less than €10M.

Engaging the value chain in carbon reduction

In total, big corporations are responsible for the overwhelming majority of the global business carbon footprint. So why should small businesses care about reducing their emissions?

The short answer is: reducing carbon emissions from small businesses will also reduce the carbon footprints of big corporations.

92%[CDP] of corporate emissions originate in the value chain – the smaller businesses that provide the services, products, and resources that go into the corporation’s end products.

When these smaller businesses start to calculate and reduce their emissions, the effects cascade through the value chain.

Additionally, the small businesses that take climate action see benefits in efficiency and branding opportunities, as well as their attractiveness to customers, employers, and financiers.

Business Carbon Calculator helps small businesses take the first steps toward carbon reduction. Using data the business already has on hand, Business Carbon Calculator estimates the carbon footprint of the business’s direct and indirect emissions. This information is displayed in intuitive data visualizations which let the business identify emissions hotspots, providing a roadmap for reductions.

Business Carbon Calculator has given us the opportunity to accurately and quickly measure our emissions, which in turn has enabled us to set realistic and measurable targets for reduction.

– Steph Harris, Practice Manager at Betteridge & Milsom Ltd, a UK-based business with 16 employees.

Used in tandem with the SME Climate Hub’s library of resources, the Business Carbon Calculator lays the foundation for small business climate action.

Jumpstart your small business’s journey to net zero emissions

Calculate your small business’s emissions, identify hotspots, and plot a course toward reducing your carbon footprint.

Go to Business Carbon Calculator

For bigger businesses looking to start or accelerate their transition to net zero, including calculating and reducing their emissions, Normative can help you with every step of the path. Book a demo to learn how we enable you to track and reduce your emissions with full value chain engagement.