Following a successful roll-out of its Business Carbon Manager app in Australia, sustainability fintech, Cogo, is launching its app for UK SMEs to help them measure, understand and reduce their carbon footprint. Accounting for over 99% of private sector businesses in the UK, SMEs have a huge opportunity to make a positive impact on climate change.

To launch the Business Carbon Manager in the UK, Cogo is continuing its partnership with global small business platform, Xero, which was announced in September 2022.

Emma Kisby, Cogo CEO, EMEA: “There are 5.5million SMEs in the UK, contributing around 30% of the UK’s emissions so the potential collective impact that they can have is huge. To date, SMEs have typically been left out of the climate conversation, but our new Business Carbon Manager looks to address this and take the complexity out of carbon management.”

Managing an SME’s carbon footprint involves measuring and reporting the amount of greenhouse gas emissions a business generates. It is a crucial first step in any business’s sustainability journey as it identifies emissions hotspots and discovers opportunities to reduce climate impact. Once a business has measured its carbon footprint, carbon reduction targets can then be set. This transparency is crucial in today’s business environment as big businesses and governments are increasingly making companies that are part of their value chain report on their climate impact.

Kisby adds: “Some see sustainability as an added expense and a ‘nice to have’, but our Business Carbon Manager tool helps businesses identify where they are wasting energy and money, and in turn recommends easy to implement climate actions that they can take while also reducing their carbon emissions and costs.”

Tamara Somers, Director of Sustainability and ESG, Xero, said: "It's great to see Cogo entering the Xero UK App Store. Together, we're excited to support small businesses getting started on their journey to measure, understand and reduce their carbon footprint."

The app is available to Xero customers and is free to use. Premium features, such as downloadable reporting and public profile, are available for as little as £15/month. Sign up for the Cogo Business Carbon Manager via the Xero App Store here.

Learn more about Cogo’s Business Carbon Manager here.