Supporting SMEs in their low-carbon transition with the European Innovation Council (EIC)

Working with CO2 Logic and Eura AG, Ramboll worked with the EIC to help small and medium sized innovative European companies align with the European Green Deal targets. To ensure success of the programme we developed the core carbon tool, working with users to accommodate specific needs within an intuitive tool, which has subsequently supported over 160 organisations develop and manage their sustainable transition plans.

To support SMEs in their transition to carbon neutrality, we developed a four-stage process: assessing the carbon footprint, tracking results annually per site, reduction through mitigation and offsetting.

The user-friendly online CO2 calculator, which is based on the GHG Protocol methodology, includes the calculation of a companies’ carbon footprint, and follows the GHG Protocol computation rules, allowing for different units. During the second stage users can simulate a reduction plan aligned with neutrality targets i.e. 25% reduction in 5 years for scopes 1 and 2. A list of 40+ mitigation measures covering a wide range of fields including “Promote public transport and car-pooling”, “Subscribe to green electricity procurement”, “Improve supply chain” or “Support staff good practices” address daily routines of beneficiaries from all sectors. Finally, the tool demonstrates outcomes of their efforts and offers information to reach carbon neutrality through offsetting the remaining emissions following existing standards. To support and challenge the beneficiaries during the process, an individual support program was launched by attributing a carbon expert to each beneficiary requesting one. Ramboll was also responsible for leading the consortium selected for the programme.

The support programme places emphasis on results communication, to encourage the most active companies. For each step of the program, a certification, in the form of a label, is issued if all conditions are complied with. For example, to receive the badge for the carbon footprint, it is necessary to have completed at least all the categories of scopes 1 and 2 as well as a list of specific categories of scope 3 depending on the sector of the company. Mitigation badges are provided for the companies which commit to a yearly decarbonisation rate aligned with the Green Deal.

Two years following launch of the GHG Program, it has supported over 160 beneficiaries, using the online tool in Europe and enabled the completion of more than 30 simulated reduction plans.

In December 2022, at the Brussel’s EIC summit, some beneficiaries shared their experiences and feedback on the program. Diapath and DVP, two companies of the 160 accompanied, attended and shared their experience. The programme attracted the interest of many companies willing to engage themselves and communicate internally and to their customers about their efforts to reach neutrality.

Communication of accompanied companies: