My UK buyer asked me to sign the SME Climate Commitment. What am I agreeing to?

You commit to halve your Scope 1 and 2 emissions before 2030, reach net zero across all scopes before 2050, and report progress every year. It is a public pledge on the SME Climate Hub, recognised by the UN Race to Zero campaign. The pledge is self-declared. The real work is a measured baseline and a yearly update.

The three promises

So Scope 3 is not in the 2030 halving, but it is in the 2050 goal. Read the current wording on the Hub before you sign.

• Halve your Scope 1 and 2 emissions before 2030.
• Reach net zero across all scopes, Scope 3 included, before 2050.
• Report your progress every year.

What halving by 2030 means in practice

You need a base year with a measured figure. From a 2025 base, halving by 2030 means cutting about a tenth of the base every year for five years. For most Indian MSMEs that only works with a change in electricity source, such as rooftop solar or a green tariff, plus fuel switching and efficiency. Run the numbers before you promise.

What it does not involve

• It is self-declared. That is different from the SBTi SME route, where SBTi checks the target before it is published.
• No permission to call yourself carbon neutral.
• No shortcut through carbon credits: the promise is to halve your own emissions, so check the Hub's rules before counting any credit toward it.

Before you sign

1. Measure a baseline from a full year of electricity bills and fuel invoices.
2. Check whether a 50% cut by 2030 is realistic and what it would take.
3. Name who will put together the yearly progress figure.
4. Expect the buyer to ask for that figure each year, with evidence.

Worked example: the yearly path for a small plant

• Base year 2025: Scope 1 and 2 = 240 t CO2
• Target before 2030: 240 x 50% = 120 t CO2 or less
• Straight-line path: (240 minus 120) / 5 years = 24 t CO2 less each year
• Path: 216 t in 2026, 192 in 2027, 168 in 2028, 144 in 2029, 120 in 2030

Figures are illustrative. The pledge says before 2030, so 120 t in 2030 is the latest point on the path; aim to get there sooner.

What Senseible does here

Senseible gives you a measured Scope 1 and 2 baseline from your electricity bills and fuel invoices and keeps each year's records for the progress report. The pledge itself is made on the SME Climate Hub.

• SBTi SME route eligibility
• Net zero vs carbon neutral
• What an MSME transition plan includes
• UK Carbon Reduction Plan for suppliers

Sources: UN Race to Zero campaign and its criteria (unfccc.int), GHG Protocol Corporate Standard (2004), Chapter 5, base year

Last reviewed 2026-10-18. SME Climate Hub wording and Race to Zero criteria can change; confirm the commitment text on smeclimatehub.org before signing.