Advice
This year's COP is all about action – and that's exactly what we're here for.
Whilst world leaders gather to advance action globally on climate change at this year’s UN Climate summit, COP30 in Brazil, we've been helping smaller businesses to take sustainability action within their own organisations.
Smaller businesses (SMEs) make up make up 90% of businesses globally, contribute over 50% of the global GDP, and are the foundation of international supply chains. They are a crucial part of the economy and with COP30 prioritising action, we've been working with a range of innovative partners to help SMEs take action too.
Throughout COP30, we’ve run workshops to help a broad spectrum of companies ranging from medical suppliers, heating system providers, to communications equipment, drink manufacturers, merchandising, EV charging, tour operators, firehose technology, garden centres, law firms, leisure centres and many more. Around COP30, over 20 sectors across Europe, North America, Africa and Asia have used Giki Actions to build their own tailored sustainability action plans.
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Companies |
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Actions Chosen |
Companies join from multiple sectors, from a broad range of business communities. Some are just starting out on sustainability, others are looking for fresh ideas and resources to enhance their current plans. Time is one of the most precious resources for smaller businesses, so no preparation is needed and businesses leave with an action plan ready to go and access to lots of free resources that can also help them save £1000s.
From global business communities, to companies engaging their suppliers, we've been making it easier for smaller businesses to get cracking with taking action, and enjoying business benefits of saving costs, driving efficiencies, and supporting customers.
Actions Chosen by Impact
Here are some of the event highlights:
Engaging Suppliers with Butterfield & Robinson
We partnered with Butterfield & Robinson to deliver a supplier engagement workshop that brought together businesses from across their supply chain – from real estate and tour operators to wineries and hotels.
- Each company identified an average of 8+ new actions relevant to their operations.
- All attendees said that Butterfield & Robinson providing this workshop makes them more likely to take action
- 100% of attendees would recommend the workshop
"It shows us where the gaps are in our plan and on a scale of 0-10, it takes us to ten in creating the roadmap we need for decarbonization."
Inspiring Action with Business Declares
We joined with Business Declares to deliver a workshop for their network of businesses committed to addressing the climate, ecological and social emergency. This wasn't an audience that needed convincing. These were practitioners already taking action. So what did they prioritise? The most popular actions chosen were:
- Create a sustainable business travel policy
- Review key professional service providers
- Publicly share sustainability plans
Two themes emerged clearly: Businesses still want to report publicly – transparency matters to them – and they're thinking beyond their own four walls, actively seeking ways to encourage wider change across their industries.
"I like the 60-minute format, this is a great way to engage more companies."
Building Plans with the SME Climate Hub
Following the success of our Climate Week NYC workshops, we partnered with SME Climate Hub to deliver two sessions helping members create their climate action plans. Demand was so high we added a second workshop to accommodate everyone.
- The workshops drew businesses from an impressive range of sectors – from coffee producers and garden centres to renewables providers and defence technology – spanning Africa, Asia and Europe
- Together, attendees added over 800 actions to their plans immediately, with 1,452 more shortlisted for review
- 59% of the actions added were cost savers
"It really has a wide range of actions, something that can help most organisations - you don't need to be an expert to use the platform or understand the output."
Supporting Local Action with the South Downs National Park
We worked with South Downs National Park to bring together local organisations during COP30 – from start-ups and charities to leisure centres and public sector bodies. The National Park is committed to net zero and actively supports communities and businesses across the region to take climate action.
The workshop helped these diverse organisations identify sustainability initiatives specific to their operations and build tailored action plans to reduce their carbon emissions. Despite their different sectors and sizes, every organisation found relevant, practical actions they could implement.
"Love it, easy to use, great planner and lots of useful information."
COP30's theme of action reflects what we've witnessed throughout this period – businesses of all sizes and sectors coming together to build their sustainability action plans. The spirit of mutirão – the Brazilian tradition of neighbours gathering to help one another tackle big challenges – perfectly captures this moment. Just as communities come together to achieve what no individual could do alone, these businesses are proving that collective action drives meaningful change.
At Giki Actions, we're here to make that easier – helping smaller businesses identify what they could do and giving them the tools to build their plans in minutes.
