The BMO SME Climate Clinic will be the first of its kind in Canada to address the intention-action gap in emission reduction. This lab emphasizes building climate knowledge, offering intensive capacity training for students, and championing greener, more inclusive growth. Bringing together students, faculty, and SMEs equips the next generation with skills and prioritizes supporting resource-strapped companies. These SMEs form the backbone of the economy and are increasingly being asked by their customers to provide emissions reports. However, many SMEs are short-staffed, unsure where to begin, and lack necessary resources as more businesses adopt net-zero carbon targets. Guiding these SMEs in their efforts to reduce emissions further strengthens a more inclusive, vibrant, and sustainable economic landscape, ensuring that all sectors of the economy are prepared to tackle the challenges of climate change.
Like law or tax clinics, the BMO SME Climate Clinic offers a way for resource-strapped small and medium-sized companies to partner with students and participate in the net-zero economy. The program will teach students how to quantify and reduce an organization's carbon footprint by pairing them with an SME. Students will work with the SME on measuring, analyzing, and reporting key ESG metrics and then implement ways to improve these outcomes.
Participating SMEs will better understand their climate impact, risks, and strategies for navigating a net-zero economy. This engagement provides them with tools for sustainable practices and positions them to succeed in a low-carbon future.
BMO SME Climate Clinic
New! Tools & Resources for SMEs
We’ve created practical tools and resources to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) measure and reduce their carbon footprint. These resources provide clear guidance on carbon accounting, enabling businesses to accurately track, manage, and lower their emissions.
Check out the resources hub here
Activities will include
- Carbon accounting workshops: Teach students the tools and methods to calculate emissions.
- Partnership Programs: Pair students with local SMEs for hands-on experiential learning.
- Strategy Sessions: Conduct brainstorming and strategy-building exercises to reduce emissions.
- Progress Monitoring: Regular check-ins with partnered SMEs to track reduction efforts.
- Best Practices Development: Develop best practices and create benchmarks for unique sectors by focusing on SMEs from the same industry.
The BMO SME Climate Clinic aims to contribute to a sustainable future and a thriving economy by integrating climate action into curriculum, programming, and industry.
Benefits
Both students and SMEs will acquire hands-on experience in emissions calculation and learn to navigate sustainability reporting challenges. There is a potential for the project to support ongoing emission management and demonstrate SMEs' climate commitments. By participating, SMEs can expect the following outcomes:
- Baseline Carbon Footprint Report: A detailed analysis of your current Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, with some Scope 3 analysis, providing a foundation for tracking progress.
- Emission Reduction Plan: Recommendations for strategies to reduce carbon emissions based on the identified primary sources.
- ESG Reporting Guidance: Assistance with completing ESG questionnaires, essential for transparency with large customers and stakeholders.
In the future, SMEs will benefit from benchmarking analysis to understand their competitive stance on emissions and from continued education for sustainable emissions management within their teams.
How to Get Involved?
Students
Enrollment in COMM486E: Climate-focused ESG Reporting and Analysis, which begins in January 2024, is a prerequisite for participation in the BMO SME Climate Clinic. This course provides a thorough understanding of climate reporting for businesses of varying sizes. It includes a hands-on project where students collaborate with an SME to calculate its carbon footprint.
Contact course Instructor, Caren Lombard: caren.lombard@sauder.ubc.ca
SMEs
The BMO SME Climate Clinic presents a unique collaborative opportunity for SMEs interested in ESG reporting or seeking B-Corp certification.
Eligible businesses should meet the following criteria:
This partnership is especially beneficial for SMEs aiming to establish their baseline carbon footprint, focusing on Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions. Such companies may have already faced or anticipate receiving ESG-related inquiries from large clients, including entities like UBC or the provincial government. The BMO SME Climate Clinic is a forward-thinking program designed to bolster SMEs' capabilities by providing the necessary support to assess carbon footprints, identify priority reduction strategies, and adeptly respond to questionnaires from significant customers, among other needs.
- Staffing under 100 employees.
- Based in British Columbia, with some exceptions considered.
- Generating annual revenue from $1 million to $20 million.
- Operating primarily from one manufacturing facility, where applicable.
To express your interests and join our September 2025 cohort, please complete the registration form here:
Contact Executive Director, Centre for Climate and Business Solutions, Kookai Chaimahawong: kookai.c@sauder.ubc.ca
Frequently Asked Questions
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There is zero cost to SMEs to participate in the BMO SME climate clinic.
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The project will take place between the following months, depending on the term.
- Term 1 (October/November)
- Term 2 (February/March)
As the nature of operations and organizational structures differ across companies, it's difficult to specify the exact number of hours; however, the information-gathering phase is typically completed within two weeks. We request that all SMEs sign a document ‘Terms of Agreement’ to ensure commitment, timeliness and efficiency of this project.
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SMEs are expected to designate a champion within their organization, ideally with access to someone in Finance or Accounting, who can assist in gathering the required data. This includes information on fuel usage or travel distances, electricity bills, natural gas bills, and, depending on the extent of scope 3 work (indirect emissions), details on purchase and shipping records, as well as expense claims for air travel emissions.
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All students and UBC Sauder team members involved in the project are required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) before the program begins to ensure the confidentiality of any data and information shared by the company.
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SME’s can expect the following deliverables from student concluding the program.
- Baseline Carbon Footprint Report: A detailed analysis of your current Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, with some Scope 3 analysis, providing a foundation for tracking progress.
- Emission Reduction Plan: Recommendations for strategies to reduce carbon emissions based on the identified primary sources.
- ESG Reporting Guidance: Assistance with completing ESG questionnaires, essential for transparency with large customers and stakeholders.
If you would like to see a sample of the final deliverables, please feel free to reach out.
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SMEs can register their interest directly on the website with this link. Once registered, we will invite you to an info session and Q&A in the months leading up to the start of the program. If you cannot make it, we will have the sessions recorded and we can send over the link!
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After participating in the BMO SME Climate Clinic, we invite companies that want to continue in their efforts to reduce emissions to stay involved by continuing to work with the Centre for Climate and Business Solutions. Please email climatecentre@sauder.ubc.ca for more details.
Additionally, we’ve created practical tools and resources to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) measure and reduce their carbon footprint, found at the following link. These resources provide clear guidance on carbon accounting, enabling businesses to accurately track, manage, and lower their emissions.
