Xero and Sumday Partner to Offer Free Carbon Accounting Tools to Small Businesses

Xero has announced an expanded partnership with carbon accounting software provider Sumday, offering Xero customers 12 months of free access to Sumday’s tools to help track and manage their carbon footprint.

The partnership aims to simplify the carbon accounting process for small businesses and their accounting and bookkeeping partners by providing software, training, and educational resources to build skills in environmental reporting. Eligibility requirements and terms apply to the offer.

According to Xero, small and medium enterprises contribute to nearly 50% of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. This collaboration with Sumday is designed to support these businesses in measuring and reporting emissions more effectively, addressing a long-standing challenge in sustainability reporting.

“Small businesses are the backbone of our communities and we want to give them the tools they need to thrive in a changing world. Our partnership with Sumday provides access to carbon accounting capabilities, putting powerful tools in the hands of small businesses so they feel prepared and able to drive towards a more sustainable future,” said Tam Somers, GM Sustainability and Impact at Xero.

Sumday’s CEO and Co-founder Jessica Richmond said, “By making carbon accounting as routine and accessible as financial accounting, we’re empowering small businesses to account for their impact beyond dollars and cents. Having been a small business owner myself, I understand the challenges these businesses face in making time to get across a new area. Our tools are making it easy for small businesses to understand their impact at a high level, before going deeper and helping improve the quality of their carbon accounting. Sometimes small businesses just need help and we’ve always believed that accountants would play a key role in that. Through this partnership with Xero, we’re putting powerful carbon accounting tools in the hands of those who understand the business and want to deliver auditable accounting that generates meaningful insights as well.”

The offer includes the ability for Xero customers to link financial data directly from Xero into Sumday, streamlining the carbon accounting process. Users will also have access to Sumday’s online academy to build knowledge in carbon accounting, and the ability to create profiles that help communicate sustainability data efficiently.

Additional tools provided through the partnership include supply chain engagement features that allow small businesses to both share emissions data with clients and request information from suppliers. These features support businesses in meeting expanding mandatory emissions reporting requirements.

Accountants and bookkeepers using Xero will receive extra resources and support through the partnership, enabling them to offer comprehensive carbon accounting services to clients.

With this integration, small businesses and their advisors can gain visibility into their full emissions supply chain and work towards reduction goals, while communicating their efforts to key stakeholders such as customers, employees, and financial institutions.