UBC Sauder doubles down on carbon accounting, reducing emissions and supporting SMEs in climate transition
UBC Sauder School of Business continues to lead the way in sustainability and climate action by strengthening its commitment to carbon accounting and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in their climate transition. This initiative is crucial not only for workforce development but also for enabling SMEs to meet their sustainability goals and contribute to broader climate targets.
Commitment to workforce development
UBC Sauder recognizes that the transition to a sustainable economy requires a skilled workforce equipped with the knowledge and tools to address complex environmental challenges. By focusing on carbon accounting, the school is preparing future business leaders to understand and manage carbon emissions, a critical component of corporate sustainability.
“We see our role as the business school to develop the skills we need for the future while meeting the growing demand from industries,” says Darren Dahl, Dean of UBC Sauder. “These are not just future skills; this is the workforce that will drive sustainable business practices forward."
The launch of the BMO SME Climate Clinic is a prime example of this commitment. This initiative provides students with hands-on learning experiences and essential support to SMEs.
The program's impact is reflected in the success of participating SMEs: Cascadia Seaweed raised its Series A funding round, leveraging data-driven insights from the clinic, Hennessy Hammock unlocked growth opportunities with major retailers in the US and Canada that increasingly require robust emissions data and EcoPest identified key emission hotspots, enabling cost-saving reductions in carbon emissions.
These examples demonstrate the triple benefits of the program—students gain practical experience, SMEs achieve measurable growth and sustainability improvements and the broader business ecosystem moves closer to its climate goals.
BMO SME Climate Clinic
Adding carbon to accounting
Adding carbon accounting to the curriculum is essential for all business students, as it forms the foundation for understanding and addressing corporate sustainability.
Caren Lombard, Academic Lead of the 'Climate-Focused Reporting' course, emphasized the importance of this skill set.
“Understanding how to measure and manage carbon emissions is becoming as fundamental for business leaders—regardless of their role, it's essential knowledge for driving measurable progress toward sustainability goals.”
By incorporating carbon accounting into their studies, students are equipped with the knowledge and the tools to identify cost-saving opportunities, reduce risks associated with climate regulation, make data-driven decisions that align with operational efficiencies and meet the growing demand for transparency from investors and consumers. These skills are becoming increasingly important as businesses worldwide recognize the need to reduce their carbon footprints and meet stringent environmental regulations.
Expanding the impact
Supporting SMEs is crucial because they are the backbone of the economy. SMEs often lack the resources and expertise to implement comprehensive sustainability practices. UBC Sauder’s initiatives are designed to bridge this gap, offering tailored support to help these businesses navigate the complexities of climate action.
The Climate Lab is already set to become a highly utilized and impactful space with the launch of new programs. Among these is the LCA Clinic for SMEs, which builds on the SME Climate Clinic’s hands-on learning model while teaching students the fundamentals of life cycle assessments. This program has gained support from the National Research Council of Canada Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC IRAP), further amplifying its reach and significance.
Additionally, the Centre for Climate and Business Solutions at UBC Sauder plans to embed climate considerations into core programming. Through hands-on challenges and experiential learning, students apply their foundational skills in areas like finance, operations, accounting, and marketing to real-world climate projects, equipping them to drive meaningful change in their future careers.
"We are integrating climate into the foundation of business education” says Kookai Chaimahawong, Executive Director of the Centre for Climate and Business Solutions. “Our mission is to prepare students with the practical skills and experiences they need to lead sustainable business practices in any industry"
By embedding climate into the heart of its curriculum, UBC Sauder is not only preparing students for tomorrow’s economy – it is empowering them to shape it.
Setting an example through sustainable operations
UBC Sauder has achieved carbon neutrality by purchasing offset credits, but recent initiatives demonstrate a deeper commitment to sustainability by showcasing how operational efforts can drive meaningful change and support future climate leaders. The school’s approach to carbon neutrality has evolved from merely offsetting emissions to actively reducing them through targeted operational adjustments.
A notable example this year comes from UBC Sauder’s Real Estate Division’s Licensing Education program, which previously printed pages of educational materials and shipped textbooks nationwide—significantly contributing to UBC Sauder’s Scope 3 emissions. By transitioning to digital resources, the program has eliminated a substantial portion of emissions from purchased goods and services, the school’s largest emissions source.
This shift is projected to save approximately over 531 metric tonnes of CO₂e annually and generate significant financial savings, which will be reinvested in impactful initiatives.
The cost savings from reduced printing will fund a $20,000 scholarship for a student enrolled in the MBA Climate Career Track, supporting the development of climate-conscious leadership.