Cleckheaton business teams up to help SMEs in green drive

The partnership will help businesses identify ways to introduce more sustainable business practices and then access so-called green finance facilities to fund them.

Alex Beardsley, joint managing director at ABL Business, said: “A recent survey of SMEs by NatWest found one in six businesses intends to generate onsite green energy by 2023, and one in three plans to invest in electric vehicles and charging points by 2022, clearly demonstrating that small businesses are increasingly aware of the impact of their operations on the environment and want to take action.

“Our partnership with Eevery will help them to do just that, by working with them to measure where they are currently on their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) journey and where they want to be, and then arranging the most suitable green finance facility to fund the required improvements.”

Ms Beardsley said businesses should also be aware of the need to improve their ESG practices and how not doing so could impact efforts to raise commercial finance in the future.

She added: “There is potential for banks and other lenders to turn away businesses that can’t show they are working towards ESG goals or taking action to improve, potentially impacting future lending.

“We want to highlight the importance of small businesses looking at their ESG strategies sooner rather than later.”