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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 reducing our own emissions by 50% by the year 2030. We plan to become net zero by 2040, supporting SMEs by advocating for the regulatory frameworks be put in place 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 of their businesses 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

Our CDP Score Report

CDP Score Report - Climate Change 2023

Sage has been recognized by The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), a global non-profit that runs the world's leading environmental disclosure platform. CDP awarded Sage an A- leadership rating for setting high-quality best practices around environmental transparency and performance in the fight against climate change.
Path to growth report cover image

Making sustainability reporting work for SMEs

SMEs struggle with sustainability reporting

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.

Our latest report, commissioned by Sage, in partnership with ICC, PwC UK, and Strand Partners, unveils an important insight : while most SMEs want to be more sustainable, a majority of them are not currently undertaking any form of sustainability reporting, blocked by high costs and complex reporting frameworks. This prevents them from taking relevant action to be more sustainable, and from realizing the business benefits of taking action, when they do.

Download the report to read what Sage and its partners recommend to empower more SMEs to start their sustainability reporting journey, so they can build better businesses and communities.

Date published : November 2023

SMEs' climate impact

In this report, we outline the impact and influence of these types of businesses on the climate and the economy - highlighting why the net zero transition is challenging 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 government and big businesses can do to enable action in the future.

Date published : November 2022

Enabling SMEs to take climate action

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

 

Even though SMEs make up over 90% of businesses, 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, ACCA, and the International Chambers of Commerce (ICC) to put forward SMB-friendly recommendations.

 

Date published: November 2021

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

Tech for Good is our commitment to supporting SMBs and communities to thrive by building trusted and inclusive digital networks and solutions. We are delivering on this pillar by using data and visualizations to help progress sustainable development goals, building trust and security into our network whilst maintaining high levels of data and AI ethics, and empowering people through Sage Foundation to scale businesses and develop the skills they need.

Human by Design

Our Human by Design pillar is our approach to amplifying economic inclusion and growing sustainably. We’re committed to building a diverse, human-centered culture, and we’re achieving this by fostering well-being alongside diversity, equity and inclusion, in our workplace and beyond.