Xero and Sumday are partnering to offer eligible small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) using Xero 12 months of free access to Sumday’s carbon accounting tools, helping them meet the growing demands for climate reporting and sustainability tracking.
With a growing emphasis on transparency from larger corporations and government agencies, small businesses are under pressure to provide detailed supply chain emissions data. This collaboration aims to help SMEs track their carbon footprint and meet the evolving regulatory requirements. Angad Soin, Managing Director AU and NZ and Global Chief Strategy Officer at Xero said: “Despite uncertainties surrounding the future of carbon reporting legislation in Australia, major businesses are proactively driving the push toward decarbonisation and sustainability reporting. Our goal is to empower small businesses to put themselves in the best position to retain existing customers, but also capitalise on new business opportunities.
“We know small businesses will look to their accountants and bookkeepers for help in this area and we’re pleased that this offering will also provide training, templates and resources to help enhance their carbon accounting skills.”
Tamara Somers, GM Sustainability and Impact at Xero said: “We know small businesses have a lot on their plate, and tackling emissions reporting can seem overwhelming at first, but rather than seeing it as a burden, we encourage small businesses to see it as an opportunity to discover new efficiencies and appeal to environmentally conscious customers. It could be the difference between winning or losing a contract. Our partnership with Sumday puts powerful tools in the hands of small businesses so they feel prepared and able to drive towards a more sustainable future.”
Jessica Richmond, CEO and Co-founder of Sumday 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.”
Here’s what this means for Xero customers
Free access to Sumday for 12 months for Xero customers (eligibility and terms apply), which includes:
- Ability to link financial data from Xero directly into Sumday, streamlining the carbon accounting process
- Access to Sumday’s online academy to upskill on carbon accounting practices
- The ability for small business customers to create profiles to communicate sustainability related data without the hassle
- Supply chain engagement tools that allow small businesses to both share their emissions data with larger clients and request information from their own suppliers
- Support for compliance with expanding mandatory emissions reporting requirements
- Accountants and bookkeepers get extra resources and support to help them offer comprehensive carbon accounting services to their clients
With Sumday, small businesses and their advisors can see their entire emissions supply chain, work towards emission reduction, and show everyone the steps they’re taking, including customers, employees, banks and other stakeholders who increasingly look for this.
Xero small business customers and accountants and bookkeepers can access Sumday in the Xero App Store.
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