Pinsent Masons is launching a net-zero programme for its small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) suppliers intended to help them reduce greenhouse gas emissions through science-based targets.

Run in association with ‘Heart of the City’, a social enterprise that works to help SMEs achieve science-based net-zero targets, the new initiative is free and will encourage businesses from across the firm’s supply chain to take part in workshops and receive tailored support to help overcome the challenges SMEs face in meeting the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) requirements.

Pinsents validated its own net-zero targets by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) in 2022 and said it began the initiative to provide support and practical advice based on its own experience in implementing net zero targets.  

The firm aims to have suppliers covering 50% of its spend set SBTi’s by 2025 and said the programme would help to achieve that target.  

“We have a close relationship with our SME suppliers who know of our net zero goals and want to implement something similar themselves,” said Fiona Cunnane, procurement ESG lead at Pinsent Masons. “They know that this is not only the right thing to do for global sustainability but understand the reputational and regulatory risk that comes with not taking meaningful steps towards reducing emissions.  

“However, for many companies they simply do not have the bandwidth to plan out and implement a sustainable process of reducing carbon emissions. We developed this programme with Heart of the City to lend a hand throughout what we know to be a complicated process.”

As part of the programme, businesses will be encouraged to build realistic benchmarks and report back on progress, with the aim of having a supplier’s targets validated by the SBTi. So far, 13 SMEs from industries including mechanical and engineering, knowledge, recruitment, building services and marketing are signed up to the firm’s eight-month programme.

Allan Clark, head of sustainability at Pinsent Masons, said: “We have committed to becoming a net zero organisation by 2040 and part of that is to encourage those we work with across our supply chain to make similar commitments to our collective future. Our suppliers have responded well and I hope this will bring our working relationship closer as we start to see the results of this programme.”