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Sustainability and Society: Protect the Planet

Protect the Planet

Our Protect the Planet pillar is our commitment to fight climate change. We are delivering on it by halving our own emissions by 2030 and becoming net zero by 2040, supporting SMBs to get to net zero and by advocating for regulatory frameworks to support the transition to a low carbon economy.

Tackling the Climate Crisis

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) want to address the environmental and social impact their businesses may have, but doing it efficiently and with impact can be daunting. It is our goal to knock down the barriers standing in their way.

We will lead by example with ambitious yet realistic goals of our own:

 

  • Cutting our own carbon emissions by 50% on or before 2030
  • Reaching net-zero emissions by 2040 (across Scopes 1, 2 and 3)
  • Committing to the SBTi (Science Based Targets initiative)
  • Committing to the UN climate change Race to Zero to support CoP26
  • Signing up to the UN Global Compact Business Ambition for 1.5°C Pathway

Impact of SMEs on climate

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are at the heart of economies and societies around the world. We know that SMEs have a crucial part to play in the challenges that have arisen due to climate change and we support all SMEs in this collective mission.

In this report, we outline the impact and influence of these types of businesses on climate and economy – highlighting why the net zero transition presents real challenges for SMEs. Commissioned by Sage, in partnership with Oxford Economics and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the report features insights from 4,000 small and medium-sized enterprises across the UK and South Africa, plus global sustainability modeling by Oxford Economics. Find out what climate actions SMEs can take now, and explore what governments and big businesses can do to enable action in the future.

Enabling SMEs to take climate action

SMEs make up over 90% of businesses and are estimated to employ two billion people worldwide. But the reality is that a vast majority have yet to take climate action or put targets in place to reduce their carbon emissions. Lack of time, high costs, excessively complicated instructions, and uncertainty about how to measure emissions, are all barriers to taking positive action. That’s why we’ve partnered with the global body for professional accountants, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), as well as the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) to provide friendly recommendations for SMEs.

Our collaborative report, "Think Small First: Enabling effective climate action by small and medium-sized businesses" calls for governments and large companies to take steps to urgently simplify carbon reporting and accounting so that SMEs are not left behind in the Race to Net Zero.

We’ve joined the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)

Joining WBCSD as a council member provides Sage with the opportunity to represent SMEs and the challenges they face globally in protecting our planet. We will collaborate with leaders across industries, sectors, and geographical areas to help sustainable businesses be more successful.

Steve Hare will also play an active role in the Business Commission to Tackle Inequality (BCTI) as commissioner. He will work with other purpose-led CEOs and industry leaders to mobilize the business community at large and to drive tangible progress to support prosperity for all.

Ensuring Nobody is Left in the Dark

Through our partnerships with non-profits, we provide clean, renewable energy to underserved communities in order to support young people with safe and reliable lighting. This provides access to education by giving them the ability to study after sunset.

Explore our Pillars

Tech for Good

We are committed to building an inclusive digital network you can trust. Through our Tech for Good pillar, we want to ensure everyone has equal opportunities to access life-changing data and technology while also championing data protection, security, and the ethical use of customer data.

Fuel for Business

Our Fuel for Business pillar is our approach to tackling economic inequality by supporting underrepresented groups. It supports programs that inspire and empower a generation of entrepreneurs by providing access and pathways to entrepreneurship - all whiile supporting successful businesses in our own communities.

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