The extreme weather events, such as droughts, floods and heat waves are just some of the most recent visible signs of climate change and they are having devastating effects on our environment and community.
As indicated by Meta, it is estimated that in 2022 there were 1,977 forest fires across the Europe region, triple the usual rate, prompting the evacuation of thousands of people in Portugal, France and Spain. Temperatures continue to rise and it is clear that businesses, governments and consumers must act to combat the effects of climate change.
Meta, in collaboration with Accenture, has released a new report titled Unlocking the Potential of SMBs in Climate Action (Unlocking the Potential of SMEs in Climate Action) which explores what small and medium-sized enterprises say they need to help them address climate change.
The report shows the main obstacles that small and medium-sized companies encounter when taking more sustainable measures:
- 63% of SMEs have delayed climate action due to lack of skills and knowledge.
- 40% of small and medium-sized companies have delayed sustainable measures due to lack of time.
- 69% of SMEs need external financing to change their business to a more sustainable one and, in more than 90 countries, the existing financial support for green initiatives in this type of company is less than 3%.
SMEs are also responsible for 63% of carbon emissions in Europe. And the actions of these companies can influence the decisions of other companies and communities around them. Individually, the climate actions of SMEs can have a small impact, but their collective power can be very relevant, since both in Spain and in Europe, SMEs represent 99% of the business fabric. When these businesses go green, they send strong messages of change to their suppliers, customers, and local neighborhoods.
Guide to Green continues in Spain
At the local level, Meta collaborates with SMEs through Guide to Green, the practical training program in sustainability of Meta Boost which was launched at the end of 2021. This initiative provides SMEs with practical measures to act against the climate crisis and make their strategy more sustainable.
Training, tools and technical capacity to reduce the burden on time-pressed SMEs could help them advance climate action alongside their day-to-day activities. Internationally, 1.3 million SMEs have accessed Guide to Green training, which is designed to be concise and relevant for SMEs short on time.
