B4NZ

📣 🌎 The KPMG COP30 Agenda is Here! B4NZ are delighted to be co-hosting an event with KPMG on November 5th in São Paulo on SME action for the net zero transition: Global insights and enablers. The session will convene senior leaders from finance, policy, and business to explore how SMEs can be mobilised to deliver against transition goals, and the enabling factors, including technology, trusted data, AI-driven insights, sustainable finance, and supply chain incentives, required to make this possible. Register now through the KPMG platform or through: https://luma.com/1jk2srtr 💚 With thanks to the B4NZ COP30 sponsors and partners Sage.

🔑 The SMEs and Net Zero: 2025 Report from the British Business Bank, released alongside the UK Net Zero Business Census, offers a clear message: data is the key to unlocking SME climate action. Already, 25% of UK organisations are achieving measurable carbon reductions, and 54% of large businesses have set net zero targets (with 22% planning to soon). At the same time, 37% of medium-sized and 1 in 5 small businesses are receiving customer requests for carbon data. As more large organisations implement transition plans, these requests will increasingly cascade through supply chains. Yet 37% of SMEs don’t believe there are any benefits to engaging in net zero, and only 8% recognise that it could help them access finance or green loans. Alongside this, a critical barrier is the complexity of reporting: many SMEs don’t know how to measure or share their emissions, making action feel daunting. With $789 billion in green finance available globally, SMEs have everything to gain from going green, if they can access the right tools and support. That’s exactly why we launched the SME Sustainability Data Taskforce, convened by B4NZ and The Broadway Initiative. Our work focuses on making sustainability reporting simpler, faster, and more consistent, reducing the burden on SMEs while providing banks and corporates with the reliable data needed to drive green finance and decarbonisation. The more SMEs can measure and share their sustainability data, the faster we all move toward net zero. 📘 Read the report: https://lnkd.in/eMzcWcC9 🌱 Learn more about the Taskforce: https://lnkd.in/erFt3Urc Hannah Gilbert Planet Mark UK Business Climate Hub

📚 📣 This morning we were delighted to attend the 2025 UK Net Zero Business Census Report launch in the House of Commons. The 2025 Net Zero Business Census is the UK’s biggest snapshot of business climate action, endorsed by the DESNZ Net Zero Council. It was delivered by the UK Business Climate Hub with Planet Mark, Sage and a coalition of 50+ leading business groups. Over 2,000+ organisations shared their progress, challenges, and ambitions. This year's results show: • Supply chains are driving accountability with 51% of large organisations having received requests for carbon data from suppliers, rising to 62% for exporters. • Ambition is holding steady, but only 11% of businesses have set a net zero target. • 59% have taken energy efficiency actions and 55% cut waste. • Costs are the biggest barrier, with 66% saying they hold back progress. The evidence is clear: organisations that act now will gain savings, resilience, and investor confidence. Those who delay risk losing competitiveness. Read the full reports: https://t.ly/UKBCH-Census For a deeper dive into the findings, don't miss the upcoming webinar on 30th October, where experts will explore the key insights and strategies from the report: https://t.ly/NZCWebinar

🌎 B4NZ at COP30: Driving Finance for a Sustainable Future As the road to COP30 gathers pace, B4NZ are delighted to announce we will be on the ground in Brazil this November to help shape the conversation on sustainable finance, climate action, and SME transition. 📍 São Paulo | 3–5 November We’ll be at the Business & Finance Forum, co-hosting with KPMG: 💬 “SME Action for the Net Zero Transition: Global Insights & Enablers.” This session will bring together senior leaders from finance, policy, and business to explore how SMEs can be mobilised to deliver transition goals, and what enablers, from trusted data and AI-driven insights to sustainable finance and supply chain incentives, are needed to make this possible. 📍 Belém | 10–21 November (COP30) We’re honoured to have been invited by the COP30 Presidency and Climate High-Level Champions to deliver a workshop with partners: 💡 “Centering SMEs in Climate Action: Building the Ecosystem for Innovation and Impact.” Drawing on examples from the Global South, this event will highlight how SMEs drive climate innovation and resilience, and how enabling policies, access to finance, data standardisation and targeted capacity building can unlock their scaling and advance global climate goals. Throughout COP30, we’ll also be attending and speaking at: 🌱 Climate Action Innovation Zone, Climate Action House & the Climate Implementation Summit 💸 World Climate Investment Forum & Investment COP 💼 Bloomberg Green, BSI KPMG events, and so much more. With thanks to Sage our COP30 partners and sponsors. If you’ll be in São Paulo or Belém, let’s connect and explore how finance can accelerate global net zero transition. Get in touch to find out more about our events and how to get involved: [email protected] Michael Hayes Rachel Dignam Henrik Micski James Close

🌍 This morning we held our first SME Breakfast Focus Group, bringing together accountants, tech innovators, trade bodies, and manufacturers to explore how we can make it easier for small businesses to report and share their emissions data. Why? Because SMEs across the UK are increasingly being asked for carbon data by banks, customers, and the public sector, but current approaches are inconsistent, confusing, and time-consuming. The UK SME Voluntary Emissions Standard aims to fix that: creating a simple, consistent framework to reduce admin, unlock finance, and open up opportunities. The discussion was rich and honest, from how to make green finance all finance, to the need for trusted calculators, better data connections, and fair feedback loops. One message came through clearly: this must work for teams of 1 to 250. If you’re not yet engaged with the development of the UK SME Voluntary Emissions Standard, now’s the time to get involved. 💬 👉 Join the conversation and help shape a standard that works for real businesses. A huge thank you to our partners OakNorth for hosting us, to Zellar for joining to demo their platform, and to all the SMEs and attendees who shared their time and insights. Valentina Kristensen Gary Styles James Read

🇧🇷 📣 B4NZ is delighted to be partnering with Climate Action for COP30, supporting their two key platforms dedicated to amplifying the role of nonstate actors and accelerating implementation. The Climate Action Innovation Zone (6–8 November, São Paulo) will bring together leaders from business, policy and finance for three days in Brazil’s economic capital to showcase real-world solutions and catalyse collaboration. It will host over 50 events including panels, workshops, roundtables, networking receptions and dinners, as well as two Flagship Forums: 🌾 Sustainable Innovation Forum (6–7 November), returning to COP for the sixteenth year, including a stream dedicated to Agri-Food Systems 💰 Climate Implementation Summit (8 November), organised in partnership with Converge Capital and iCS to spotlight private sector solutions for COP30 🏡 The Climate Action House (10–14 November, Belém) will be a stylish, inclusive space in the heart of Belem where real economy actors will cocurate events, convene with purpose, and drive forward the solutions and partnerships needed to deliver the transition to a low-carbon, naturepositive future. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/dndHY9dY https://lnkd.in/ggRqSmai

🚨 Last Chance to Register – Taking Place Tomorrow! Join us for our SME Breakfast Focus Group and help shape the future of sustainability data. We’re delighted to be joined by our partners at Zellar, who will run a practical session on how SMEs can get started measuring their Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, the first step on the road to sustainability.

Join us at #edie26 📣 We are thrilled to be partnering with @edie on #edie26 (25-26 March 2026 | BDC, London) - the UK's longest-running and most impactful sustainable business event!  The 2026 content programme has just launched – packed full of keynote presentations, action-oriented panels, best-practice case studies, and interactive audience-led discussions across six thematic stages, each dedicated to delivering high-impact content. View the full programme - http://bit.ly/3WldjNW There are limited first release tickets available at 30% off, plus an extra 15% off using our code B4NZ15. Secure your place - https://bit.ly/4oIAtLh

⏰ One week to go! Next Wednesday, 15th October, we’ll be hosting our SME Engagement Breakfast with OakNorth, bringing together small businesses to help shape the UK SME Voluntary Emissions Standard. SMEs across the UK are increasingly being asked to report their carbon emissions, by banks, big customers, and the public sector, but the process today can be inconsistent, complex, and time-consuming. This session is your chance to: ✅ Share what works (and what doesn’t!) ✅ Influence a national approach designed to support SMEs ✅ Help shape a tool that could save time, reduce admin, and unlock finance and opportunities 📍 London | 8:30–10:30am | Register here: https://lu.ma/m3y520sp 👉 SME organisations – please share this with your networks. 👉 SMEs – we want to hear from you! Let’s make sustainability simple, practical, and valuable for small businesses. 💚 Andy Melia Heart of the City Gruffudd Jones Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Roisin Sweeney Institute of Directors (IoD) Jon Geldart Hon DBA - Institute of Directors Blue Patch Jane Langley Giki Jo Hand James Hand Cogo Tese.io Dr. Kuzi Charamba Nathan A. ESG Book atmo Jen Godderidge Zellar Gary Styles Sanum Jain Hazel Fell Oscar Warwick Thompson Henrik Micski Andrew Griffiths Accelerate the Shift Seneca ESG Small World Consulting We Mean Business Coalition SME Climate Hub