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UBC Sauder’s Centre for Climate and Business Solutions Launches SME Climate Clinic
September 2024 Cohort
If you're a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) or a large company looking to assist your smaller suppliers in identifying their Scope 1 and 2 emissions (thereby, your Scope 3), please complete this registration form to express your interest in joining our next cohort in September 2024 here:
The UBC Sauder School of Business Centre for Climate and Business Solutions is proud to announce the launch of its first SME Climate Clinic, exemplifying the school’s commitment to bridging academic research with practical business applications. The Clinic partners students with SMEs, providing tools for identifying and reducing their carbon emissions with Mountain Equipment Company (MEC) as its first Supply Chain Partner. This directly aids in minimizing the Scope 3 emissions of larger companies like MEC, enhancing sustainability across the supply chain.
Pioneering Change Through Academic-Industry Collaboration:
This partnership represents a significant achievement for UBC Sauder’s Centre for Climate and Business Solutions in connecting academia and students with real-world business needs. Collaborations like this will provide direct services in carbon accounting and emission reduction strategies from students supervised by expert faculty. This initiative not only translates academic expertise into actionable environmental solutions but also offers tangible support to SMEs that lack the necessary resources. At the same time, UBC Sauder students will gain practical, hands-on skills in carbon accounting and sustainability metrics, preparing them to champion climate action and lead change.
Kookai Chaimahawong, Executive Director, Centre for Climate and Business Solutions at UBC Sauder:
"Partnering with MEC not only advances our sustainability goals but also bridges the gap between education and industry. This initiative is a testament to our Centre's dedication to cultivating future climate leaders while delivering tangible benefits to our business collaborators. We are excited to continue exploring similar opportunities that amplify both educational and practical impacts in the sustainability sector."
Empowering Future Leaders Through Experiential Learning:
The partnership between UBC Sauder’s Centre for Climate and Business Solutions and MEC serves as a platform for unparalleled experiential learning. The combination of in-class learning and hands-on experience working directly with SMEs is designed to equip students with the comprehensive skill set necessary to drive sustainable change as future business leaders. Students will assist SMEs in understanding their emissions data, producing comprehensive reports, and formulating actionable recommendations to reduce their carbon footprint.
Caren Lombard, Instructor of the new 'Climate-Focused Reporting course':
"The SME Climate Clinic is a crucial capacity building tool to help small businesses by matching them with students eager to apply their carbon accounting skills. This is an example of how academic learning can be integrated with real-world applications. Our students are gaining hands-on experience, which is invaluable in preparing them to lead in sustainable business."
A Collaborative Approach to Achieving Sustainability Goals:
Recently approved by the Science Based Targets initiative, MEC’s emission reduction targets outline a 55% emissions reduction by 2030 and net-zero emissions by 2050, with clear goals for direct operations (Scope 1 and 2) and the supply chain (Scope 3). The SME Climate Clinic is a vital component in achieving these ambitious targets, focusing particularly on the challenging Scope 3 emissions, which include products from its retail partners. At the same time, the SMEs or smaller brands in MEC’s supply chain often lack the resources to provide the necessary data for this comprehensive emissions analysis. This clinic aims to bridge this gap, offering the support and expertise to effectively gather and interpret essential emissions data.
Laura Swaffield, Environmental Impact Lead at MEC:
"MEC is committed to creating change across our industry, but we can’t do it alone. With so much of our impact coming from our supply chain, it is crucial for us to engage with our brand partners to help bring everyone along on the journey to a low-carbon future. Through our partnership with UBC Sauder and the SME Climate Clinic, we’re able to connect small brands with the support and resources to start measuring and reducing their emissions and MEC’s supply chain emissions, too. The SME Climate Clinic is a significant step forward in tackling the emissions across our supply chain, and we’re thrilled to be a partner.”
Building Climate Resilient Supply Chains with SMEs
Join us on April 22, 2024 (Earth Day) for a webinar to understand the critical role of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in creating sustainable and resilient supply chains.
For information and registration: