Bankers for Net Zero (B4NZ) are delighted to announce a new strategic knowledge partnership with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), to accelerate SMEs’ and financial institutions’ green transition and ensure small businesses are not left behind in the journey to net zero.
The partnership will ensure collaboration and knowledge-sharing between B4NZ and the OECD Platform on Financing SMEs for Sustainability. This will enable the OECD Platform Secretariat and members to learn from and engage with B4NZ and its members and promote outreach and engagement globally. By contributing to shaping future outputs and high-level guidance for the OECD, our cooperation will accelerate the transition to net zero for SMEs and provide a systematic approach for SMEs to engage fully with reducing their carbon emissions.
Launched at COP27, the ‘Mobilising SMEs for Climate Action’ workstream, led by Bankers for Net Zero and Icebreaker One, is developing practical solutions to help the UK’s almost six million small and medium-sized businesses successfully make the transition to net zero. It brings together banks, accountants, energy companies, civil society and SMEs to devise an actionable and transparent framework which will enable frictionless emissions reporting on net zero emissions for banks and their SME customers. This project, the first of its kind in the world, will deliver a scalable approach to engaging with SMEs in the UK and globally, and ensure a level playing field in the transition to net zero for industry, government and regulators. You can learn more here.
The OECD Platform on Financing SMEs for Sustainability, launched in November 2021, provides a forum to advance knowledge sharing, data and analytical work, and policy dialogue on sustainable finance for SMEs. By bringing together public and private financial institutions, governments, SME representatives, Fintech companies and regulators, the Platform aims to bridge existing knowledge and awareness gaps and develop and share innovative, workable solutions and good practices for finance providers, SMEs and governments.
