The decarbonization strategy isn't just for large companies
Decarbonization has become essential. Facedwith the effects of climate change, risingenergy prices, costly carbon quotas, and growing customer expectations, every business is affected. For a long time, it was believed that only large organizations could develop a low-carbon strategy, but this misconception is outdated: small and micro-businesses, which account for more than 99% of the French economy, have a major role to play in the energy transition.
Their combined GHG emissions are substantial: without them, carbon neutrality by 2050 is out of reach. Yet many business leaders are still hesitant, viewing decarbonization as complex or costly.
This perception is changing rapidly for four main reasons:
- Regulations: The CSRD Directive, carbon footprint reporting requirements (BEGES), and public procurement processes now require companies to report on their carbon footprint.
- Customers and investors: Carbon Competitiveness® is becoming a strategic asset, strengthening a company’s image and credibility.
- Economic opportunities: Reducing energy consumption or optimizing purchasing practices directly improves profitability and resilience.
- Carbon Taxation: Carbon Quotas (ETS) and MACF Require Companies to Measure and Reduce Their GHG Emissions
The good news is that there are simple, step-by-step methods available for small and medium-sized businesses. Solutions like those offered by Decarbo’Solution® (Decarbo’Solution®), with its collaborative platform and Decarbo’Solution® offering, make it possible to measure, reduce, and showcase these efforts without unnecessary complexity.
In short, decarbonization is not a challenge reserved for large companies, but rather an opportunity for sustainable growth for all organizations, large and small.
Contents
Why Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Need to Address This Issue, Too
The Climate Emergency and the Role of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
Global warming is one of the major challenges of the 21st century. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions fromenergy consumption,industry, transportation, and waste are accelerating climate change.
While large companies often attract the most media attention, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) actually account for a significant portion ofthe national carbon footprint. Their collective impact is such that, without their commitment, France will not be able to achieve its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, as set forth in the National Low-Carbon Strategy (SNBC).
In other words, every small and medium-sized enterprise (SME), regardless of its industry, has a role to play. Whether it involvesresource use, energy consumption, raw material procurement, or waste management, there are many opportunities to reduce the impact on the climate.
External pressures: regulations and competitive bids
Regulatory and tax changes are encouraging small and medium-sized enterprises to commit to a low-carbon strategy now. Among the most significant of these are:
- The CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive), which, along with the Omnibus Regulation, is gradually requiring European companies to disclose detailed information specifically about their environmental impacts.
- The growing requirement to conduct a carbon footprint assessment (BEGES), which serves as a crucial starting point for measuring and reducing GHG emissions.
- The systematic inclusion of environmental criteria in public procurement bids. Today, an SME that is unable to demonstrate its carbon footprint® risks being excluded from a contract.
These developments are setting a new standard: to remain competitive, companies—even small ones—must demonstrate that they are actively participating in the energy transition.
Carbon Competitiveness® as a New Strategic Asset
In this context, the concept of Carbon Competitiveness® takes on its full meaning. Developed by Decarbo’Solution® (Decarbo’Solution®), it refers to a company’s ability to emit less carbon than its competitors for a given product or service, while maintaining equivalent quality.
There are many benefits:
- Enhanced market access: In a context where “one company’s upstream carbon is always another’s downstream carbon,” customers are demanding partners with lower carbon emissions.
- Reducing future costs: Planning ahead helps limit your exposure to a future carbon tax or paid emission allowances.
- Improved brand image: A company that communicates its sustainability efforts gains the trust of consumers and investors.
Thus, decarbonization is not just an obligation—it is also an opportunity to gain a sustainable competitive advantage.
An opportunity to plan ahead rather than react
Waiting to take action would mean bearing the full brunt of the challenges ahead: rising fossil fuel prices, new regulations, taxes, exclusion from bids, and a loss of credibility with customers.
Conversely, an SME that commits to a low-carbon strategy today reaps immediate benefits:
- Reducing energy costs through more energy-efficient practices.
- Access to new opportunities through green financing and public procurement that requires a clear carbon policy.
- Increased appeal to young talent who are concerned about climate action.
- Greater resilience in the face of energy and climate crises.
Solutions exist to make this transition without undue complexity. With tools like Decarbo’Solution®, small and medium-sized businesses can measure, reduce, and showcase their efforts step by step, using a methodology tailored to their size and resources.
How to ensure the long-term viability and growth of your business through a successful low-carbon strategy.
Developing a Decarbonization Strategy: A Matter of Methodology
The starting point: measuring your carbon footprint
You can’t reduce what you don’t measure. The first step in a low-carbon strategy is to conduct a carbon footprint assessment or GHG (greenhouse gas) assessment. This tool provides a clear picture of the emissions generated by the company, distinguishing between:
- Scope 1: Direct emissions (heating, vehicle fleet, industrial processes).
- Scope 2: Indirect emissions related toenergy consumption (electricity, heat, steam).
- Scope 3: Other indirect emissions (purchases, freight transportation, product use, waste).
For small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Scope 3—particularly procurement—often accounts for the largest portion of their carbon footprint.
The Diag Décarbon’Action program (ADEME & Bpifrance) enables small businesses to obtain a rapid, structured, and subsidized assessment. Meanwhile, digital solutions such as the Decarbo’Solution® platform (Decarbo’Solution®) facilitate data collection, interpretation, and the creation of an initial low-carbon action plan.
Set realistic goals that are aligned with scientific evidence
Once the assessment is complete, the goal isn't to change everything all at once. The key is to set gradual, achievable goals that are tailored to the company's size and resources.
Here are a few examples:
- Reduce energy consumption in buildings by 15% over three years.
- Reduce business travel by air by 20% and shift it to rail travel.
- Include 30% of low-carbon-committed suppliers in the supply chain.
These goals must be aligned with recognized frameworks such as the SBTi (Science Based Targets initiative), which encourages companies to adopt trajectories consistent with the Paris Agreement.
The Decarbo’Target® tool offered by Decarbo’Solution® allows users to simulate various reduction scenarios, measure their impact, and chart a credible low-carbon path. With this tool, SMEs can immediately visualize the potential results of their choices (GHG reductions, energy savings, cost reductions) and adjust their goals accordingly.
Engage teams and stakeholders
The success of a decarbonization strategy does not depend solely on a single executive or department. It is a collective effort that involves all stakeholders within the company and its ecosystem.
- Employees: They need to be educated and trained on climate issues. Workshops like “La Fresque du Climat” are an excellent way to raise awareness and harness collective intelligence.
- Suppliers: They often account for 40 to 80 percent of a company’s carbon footprint through procurement. The Decarbo’Supply® tool helps small and medium-sized businesses engage their suppliers, calculate the carbon weight® of each product or service (using PCF—Product Carbon Footprint—or My-CIF®—Carbon Intensity Factor), and gradually reduce their environmental impact.
- Customers and investors: they expect transparency. Showcasing your low-carbon efforts to them builds trust and can become a key competitive advantage.
This collective effort not only helps reduce emissions but also embeds the initiative in the company’s culture.
Develop a clear, step-by-step roadmap
Once the data has been collected, the objectives set, and the stakeholders mobilized, it is time to formalize the strategy in the form of a low-carbon roadmap.
This roadmap must include:
- Priorities identified through the carbon assessment.
- Quantitative goals (short-, medium-, and long-term).
- Concrete actions (energy efficiency, mobility, responsible procurement, waste reduction).
- A realistic timeline with intermediate milestones.
- A monitoring system based on reliable indicators (tons of CO₂e avoided, energy savings achieved).
The methodology proposed by Decarbo’Solution® simplifies this structuring process. Thanks to its collaborative SaaS platform, small and medium-sized businesses can:
- Centralize their carbon data.
- Create and manage their action plan.
- Compare the results obtained with the established goals.
- Highlight their progress to clients and investors.
This phased planning approach prevents fragmentation and ensures effective implementation without unnecessarily complicating internal processes.
First, the use of GCI has led to a significant reduction in the uncertainty of the GHG inventory—particularly for Scope 3—from 50% to 5%. The group therefore has data that is 95% accurate.
Using supplier data collected and analyzed by the GCI tool, in-depth analyses were conducted internally on the impact of 35,000 products, grouping suppliers into 170 categories. This represents more than 80% of purchases by volume and value.
Reduction, Management, and Value Creation: What a Well-Thought-Out Strategy Can Achieve
Identify and implement concrete actions
Once the carbon roadmap has been established, the company must move from theory to practice. Reducing GHG emissions relies on concrete measures tailored to each industry.
- Energy: This is often the first area of focus. Reducing energy consumption involves energy-saving measures (turning off equipment on standby, improving building insulation) and investments inenergy efficiency (LEDs, temperature control, heat recovery systems). The use of renewable energy (solar, biomass, green electricity contracts) also helps reduce the carbon footprint.
- Mobility: Business travel and freight transport account for a significant portion of emissions. Companies can take action by replacing their fleets with low-carbon vehicles, encouraging carpooling and telecommuting, or promoting the use of trains instead of airplanes.
- Purchasing: Reducing the carbon footprint® of supplies and raw materials is therefore essential. This involves prioritizing responsible suppliers, embracingthe circular economy, and rethinking purchasing criteria.
- Numérique : l’empreinte environnementale du digital est souvent sous-estimée. L’empreinte carbone des data centers en est l’une des principales composantes. En optimisant l’utilisation des serveurs, en allongeant la durée de vie des équipements ou en limitant le stockage inutile de données, une PME peut réduire significativement son impact énergétique.
These actions may seem modest when taken individually, but their cumulative effect has a tangible impact onthe overall carbon footprint.
Monitoring and Managing Emissions Reduction
Implementing initiatives is one thing, but they must also be measured and managed over time. Accurate monitoring is essential to verify that the strategy is producing the expected results.
This is where solutions like Decarbo’Target® come in, enabling:
- Visualize the impact of each mitigation action on the GHG balance sheet.
- Simulate different scenarios and emission reduction pathways (aligned with the SBTi).
- Oversee a multi-year action plan, taking into account the human and financial resources allocated to it.
The Decarbo’Solution® platform, available as a SaaS solution, makes this monitoring process collaborative and easy to use. It enables companies to compare their actual results with their carbon targets, adjust their strategy, and stay on track toward climate neutrality.
This approach transforms the carbon footprint from a simple static assessment into a true strategic management tool.
Highlight and Communicate Your Efforts
A low-carbon strategy only makes sense if it is promoted to the various stakeholders. It’s not just about reducing one’s carbon footprint, but also about demonstrating and proving it.
- Customers: Increasingly mindful of sustainable practices, they value companies that can demonstrate their efforts.
- Investors: They now view non-financial performance as a key factor in their decision-making.
- Partners and institutions: They prioritize organizations committed to combating climate change.
Solutions such as Decarbo’Tender® enable small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to highlight their commitment during the bidding process. By requiring or providing a Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) that complies with the ISO 14067 standard, a company can showcase its reduction efforts and set itself apart through positive carbon differentiation®.
Communication must remain transparent and accountable: the goal is not to artificially “greenwash” one’s image, but to share actual progress. An SME that knows how to communicate its approach inspires confidence and builds customer loyalty.
The Strategic Benefits of a Low-Carbon Approach
Beyond environmental considerations, a well-thought-out decarbonization strategy generates concrete and measurable benefits for the company:
- Cost reduction: lower energy consumption, reduced waste, and optimized use of resources.
- New markets: easier access to competitive bids that include environmental criteria.
- Improving Carbon Competitiveness®: Being better positioned than competitors in terms ofGHG emissions is becoming a selection criterion.
- Increased appeal: Employees, customers, and investors are looking for committed partners.
- Resilience: In the face of rising fossil fuel prices and climate crises, a low-carbon company is better prepared.
Thus, far from being a burden, the energy transition is becoming a driver of economic and strategic performance. SMEs that commit to it do more than just reduce their emissions: they gain a competitive edge over their rivals.
Decarbonization is no longer an issue reserved for large corporations. Against a backdrop of risingenergy costs, the climate emergency, and changing regulations, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have every reason to address this issue now.
As we have seen, they are central tothe nationalcarbon footprint and are therefore essential to achieving the goal of carbon neutrality by 2050. But beyond this responsibility, decarbonization represents a strategic opportunity for them: reducing their GHG emissions also allows them to improve their competitiveness, secure their access to markets, and strengthen their brand image among customers and investors.
Thanks to a step-by-step approach —assessment, goal-setting, action plan, monitoring, and evaluation—it is possible to move forward one step at a time, without unnecessary complexity. Solutions such as those offered by Decarbo’Solution® (Decarbo’Solution®) and its Decarbo’Solution® program provide small and medium-sized businesses with simple, collaborative, and effective tools to measure, manage, and promote their low-carbon trajectory.
Therefore, committing to a low-carbon strategy should not be viewed as a constraint, but rather as an investment in the future. It is a choice that strengthens resilience, opens up new business opportunities, and prepares companies for a world where carbon competitiveness® will be just as decisive as price or quality.
In short, decarbonization is not just a climate imperative—it is a genuine driver of sustainable growth for all businesses, large and small.