The cross-sector SME Sustainability Data Taskforce is working to develop a practical, standardised framework for SME sustainability and emissions reporting, including clear rules, guidance, and a data quality framework to ensure comparability, interoperability, and proportionate application for SMEs.

SME Sustainability Data Taskforce

UK SMEs face major challenges dealing with numerous and varied sustainability data requests from large corporates and financial institutions. There is currently no agreed and comparable process for SMEs to report GHG emissions and sustainability impacts to customers across industry, finance, and Government procurement processes.

This lack of standardisation affects the reliability and comparability of SME data, impacting their participation in sustainability reporting and green finance initiatives. A unified approach is essential for ensuring SME data is accurate, comparable, and compatible with larger corporate and regulatory requirements. There is an imperative to seek consensus on SME sustainability attributes and ensure that this consensus is driven by not only what major corporates & financial institutions are asking for, but also by the data that SMEs can easily provide.

B4NZ is leading a dedicated workstream, collaborating with key industry partners to:

Make recommendations towards a proportionate, comparable and interoperable sustainability (Including emissions) data reporting framework and underlying data requirements.

Define standard rules and guidance for SME applicability and an SME data quality framework. By working on a bottom-up approach, we can identify potential additional reporting requirements depending on size/sector, as well as ensuring interoperability with international reporting requirements for larger corporations.

Phase 1 of the project came to an end on 23rd June, when a report outlining the Taskforce’s initial proposals was published. The project then moved to Phase 2; a ‘test-and-learn’ consultation to take place over summer with key partners to further refine the standard and results from this Phase were published at the end of 2025. Members of the Taskforce can be seen below:

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SME Sustainability Data Taskforce

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