Supporting Nova Scotia SMEs in the Move to Net Zero

In our collective pursuit of a net-zero future, it is imperative that every business, regardless of size, has the resources and knowledge needed to make this transition – especially small businesses, which form the backbone of our economy.

Grant award: $10,000

Halifax’s Chamber of Commerce (“the Chamber”), a non-profit dedicated to uplifting and supporting business owners across the city, recognized that over 90% of their members belonged to small businesses. They also recognized that, to meet our future climate goals, these small businesses would need support in their transition to net-zero, especially with the diversity of industries these businesses represent. “If our goal as a society is to get to a truly sustainable environment, we need employees and businesses at every level to participate, not just the large [businesses],” said Kent Roberts, Vice President Policy at the Chamber.

The Chamber came to HCi3 with a proposal to survey their small business members to establish a baseline understanding of knowledge of climate impacts, perceived risks from climate change, and plans of action to address these risks. They asked questions including how their members view climate change, what sustainable strategies they’re using, what barriers they’re facing, and what resources they might need to help with their transition to net-zero. At the heart of the survey was the question: “what are our members thinking about getting to net-zero?”

The survey was met with great success, with 140 responses during the data collection period between November and December 2023. Below are just some of the results from these responses:

- 70-75% of businesses are concerned about not only the future impacts of climate change, but also of the current impacts,

- 75%+ of businesses have concerns related to the cost of diminished operational capacity,

- Roughly 30% of respondents feel that climate change is going to impact their business this year, while an overwhelming 90% feel that climate change will impact their business in the coming years, and

- The majority of respondents do not know what to do about climate change, or how to address it.

With this foundational understanding of what small businesses need in terms of climate preparedness and transitioning to net-zero, the Chamber can now begin designing a comprehensive toolkit that meets the diverse needs of their members.

This study is especially crucial ahead of changes in Canadian accounting standards. It’s expected that businesses will need to start performing environment, social, and governance (ESG) audits and reporting. Without knowledge of ESG, climate change, and how to transition to net-zero, these businesses will require more resources and supports. The Chamber is well-placed to provide tools that will help them succeed.

The project wrapped up in March 2024, and the feedback provided on how the Halifax Chamber of Commerce can support its members in transitioning to net-zero operations included the following key points:

· Develop a Business Sustainability Toolkit modeled after the Chamber’s DEI&A Toolkit.

· Enhance education for members on climate change issues.

· Consider opportunities for climate action micro-credentials across different sectors.

· Collaborate with organizations like EfficiencyOne and HCi3 to develop new tools and resources based on the study findings and feedback from the task force.

Interested in learning more about this project? Make sure to check out the report that the Halifax’s Chamber of Commerce team released documenting all their findings on our resource page.