More and more businesses are focusing on sustainability, and for good reason. Not only do many small business owners personally feel that it is important to play a role in protecting the environment, it has been proven to have a positive impact on their bottom line.
We understand that taking the first steps towards sustainability for your business can be overwhelming. The Xero App Store Proud to feature a few Sustainability applications Designed to make it easier for small businesses to take climate action by automating and simplifying sustainability measures. Many apps are cheap or free and require very little additional resources to start making changes to your business because they use the data you already have in Xero.
Protect the planet, help your bottom line
Many small businesses choose to take climate action to fulfill their values, but studies show that doing so is more beneficial for customers, employees and investors as well.
- Attract customers. A IBM 2020 Research found that 6 out of 10 consumers are willing to change their purchasing habits to reduce their environmental impact. Among those who say sustainability is important to them, over 70% say they would pay a premium for products from businesses that practice sustainability! In Australia, more than half of businesses think their competitors are taking climate action, confirming that the drive to attract customers is intensifying.
- Attracting employees. In addition to increasing the number of customers, taking sustainable actions in your business will also help you attract more employees. KPMG research has shown that 70% of employees are more likely to work for a company with a strong green footprint – and 30% have actually left a company due to the lack of a sustainability agenda.
- Attracting investors. As consumer and employee attitudes change, it makes sense that investor decisions will also shift toward more sustainably minded businesses. At the start of 2020, global sustainable investments reached US$35.5 trillion in 5 major markets, showing rapid year-over-year growth. Global Sustainable Investment Alliance. Funding can be made easier for small businesses that can prove their environmentally friendly actions.
How can apps promote sustainability in your business?
Sustainability apps in the Xero App Store offer features such as:
- Accounting and tracking of carbon emissions in different areas of your business
- Automate carbon reporting so you can prove your sustainability credentials to investors, customers, employees and more – and see where you can continue to improve
- Providing recommended next steps for climate action in your business
- Identify areas of your business where you can save energy and reduce costs
First of all, these apps integrate with Xero, meaning they can seamlessly pull insights from your existing data, without additional input from you, and provide a complete picture of your business.
What sustainability applications are currently available for small businesses?
We are pleased to now offer the following options to businesses across Australia, New Zealand and the UK:
- who. Available in Australia Cogo Business Carbon Manager Calculates the carbon footprint of your business based on your costs, so you can provide detailed reports to stakeholders and customers.
- Ecologist zero. Available in the UK Ecologi Zero offers free carbon accounting For small businesses, sync with Xero and display your own business and your supply chain emissions to develop an easy-to-use dashboard to identify emissions hotspots and areas.
- Netnada. Available in Australia and New Zealand, NetNada automates carbon accounting and reporting tasks, provides an accurate measurement of your carbon footprint and generates detailed sustainability reports with advice on what to do next.
- Evaluate8 sustainability. Available in Australia Evalue8 Sustainability connects your financial accounts In Xero to measure your carbon emissions, identify areas for further improvement and savings, and track your progress towards becoming more sustainable.
- CarbonInvoice. Available in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, CarbonInvoice makes it easy Track and record emissions on every invoice you send and then share your efforts with clients and your wider network.
- CarbonTrail. Available in New Zealand CarbonTrail uses AI to automate carbon accounting Based on your Xero transactions, you save time and money by reducing carbon audit costs and showing monthly and annual reports of your largest emitters.
- zero carbon. Available in the UK zero carbon Powered by an intelligent climate analytics engine, it presents information on an easy-to-read climate dashboard to track your progress and compare your progress to industry averages.
We’re constantly adding more sustainability business apps to the Xero App Store, so keep checking back A collection of these applications in your region to find the best eco-friendly results for your business.
