Working with SMEs through Heart of the City
The City of London Corporation has invested in support for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) across the Square Mile and our value chain (what we buy, sell, lease, and invest in) to reach net zero.
99% of businesses in the UK are SMEs so their role in climate action is really important. However, the road to net zero can be overwhelming for smaller organisations as they don’t have the resources that bigger businesses can dedicate.
We have partnered with Heart of the City, a charity which supports SMEs to be a force for good. Using workshops, masterclasses, and expert mentoring, they help SMEs take their first steps towards making responsible business a meaningful part of their business plans.
In 2021, Heart of the City launched the 'Climate for SMEs: 4 Steps to Action' course to connect SMEs with experts in sustainability, climate action, and net zero from a wide range of industries. It guided businesses through the basics of net zero, how to build their business case for it, measure their carbon footprint, and end with a net zero action plan. With the course due to conclude in March 2025, the deadline to join the final cohort has now passed.
In 2025, Heart of the City launched the Net Zero Accelerator programme, a 10-week course designed to help SMEs measure their carbon footprint baseline and develop a net zero action plan with guidance from experts.
Heart of the City’s free Climate Action Toolkit is still available to download via their website, and features all of the online resources included in the original Climate for SMEs course.
The charity also hosts a variety of free webinars designed to help business leaders upskill and make a positive impact by better supporting their people, places, and the planet.
"We’ve found the Heart of the City’s climate course to be very helpful and supportive both in terms of personal support and IT learning platforms. Being part of the Heart of the City course has helped us focus and drive our net zero carbon plans and supporting a more sustainable Square Mile. So far, with the support of Heart of the City, we’ve calculated our carbon baseline, completed our carbon audit, identified our carbon mitigation strategy and set our target for reducing our carbon footprint with sound methodology informing this. We’ve already seen carbon savings yielded and continue to strive to do better"
Chris Patrick, Partner at Quantem
The course is now in its final cohort and will conclude in March 2025.
The course comprises of four modules for SMEs based or operating in the Square Mile:
- Jargon busting and demystification
- Building the business case
- Measuring your carbon footprint
- Net zero action plan and next steps
Businesses do not need to start the course at the first module, meaning any SME can take part, whether they have never thought about net zero before or they have already taken some steps and started the journey. Learning online means businesses can complete the course at their own pace and a mix of webinar styles means people will connect with experts in sustainability from bigger businesses, as well as other SME leaders who are in a similar position. They will also have access to Heart of the City’s Net Zero Programme Manager to get personalised support.
This online toolkit is free to download for anybody. It was developed by Heart of the City in partnership with some of the net zero experts in their ambassador network, especially for SMEs. It follows the same four modules of the course, and businesses can use the practical resources to measure their carbon footprint and create an action plan that will eventually get them to net zero.
Heart of the City regularly runs webinars on net zero topics such as measuring your carbon footprint, reducing digital emissions and avoiding greenwashing. These short webinars are hosted by the Heart of the City team and the experts in their ambassador network. They are free and open to anybody but designed with SMEs in mind. Check out their upcoming webinars.
Besides climate action support, the City Corporation offers a wide range of assistance and advice for smaller businesses. You can find more information about some of our services, programmes and resources in our support SMEs and Start-ups page.