Small Business Sustainability Tools

This article was contributed by Xero.

How Xero’s Sustainability Hub helps businesses build resilience and stay competitive

Xero has launched a Sustainability Hub, giving small businesses access to free, practical tools designed to turn sustainability goals into real business outcomes.

As expectations shift across supply chains, procurement and customer behaviour, small business sustainability is becoming a clear driver of competitiveness. Businesses are increasingly being evaluated not just on price or service, but on how they operate and what they can demonstrate.

New global research from Bain & Company highlights this shift, with almost half of companies (49%) assigning more work to suppliers with stronger sustainability performance, while 26% are moving away from those that don’t meet their criteria.

For small businesses, the opportunity is clear — but knowing where to start is often the biggest barrier.

Making sustainability more accessible for small businesses

Xero’s Sustainability Hub has been designed to meet small businesses where they are, with a focus on simplicity, clarity and action.

“We know small business owners want to do the right thing, but are often held back by a lack of time, knowledge or resources,” says Tamara Somers, GM Sustainability and Impact at Xero.

“The most common question we hear is ‘where do I even begin?’ Many existing sustainability resources are built for large organisations. This hub is designed specifically for small businesses to remove that friction and help them move forward with confidence.”

Rather than overwhelming users, the platform focuses on practical small business sustainability tools that help owners take meaningful steps, no matter their starting point.

Tools designed to turn intent into action

Developed in collaboration with Small Mighty CSR, the Sustainability Hub brings together a suite of tools and resources that translate sustainability into clear, manageable actions.

These include:

• A mini materiality assessment tool, built with Sustainable Choice Group, to help businesses identify the environmental and social issues most relevant to their operations and customers
• An AI-powered insights tool, developed with the UN Global Compact Network Australia, offering accessible, credible sustainability guidance drawn from global frameworks
• Real-world video stories from small business owners across Australia and New Zealand, sharing practical approaches and lessons learned
• Simple guides and jargon-free resources that break down complex topics like carbon reporting into clear next steps

Together, these tools shift sustainability from something abstract into something businesses can actively implement.

Real progress, built over time

For many small businesses, sustainability isn’t about perfection. It’s about consistent, practical progress.

The Banksia Tree Café in Port Adelaide reflects this approach. With a focus on local, seasonal and sustainable practices, owner Fabian Folghera describes sustainability as a series of incremental improvements rather than a fixed end point.

“To do sustainability 100% may almost be impossible, but making lots of small movements towards it, even imperfectly, is what moves you forward,” he says.

This mindset is central to how small businesses can approach sustainability in a way that is realistic, achievable and commercially relevant.

Building capability at every stage

The Sustainability Hub is designed as a starting point, helping businesses build confidence before taking more advanced steps.

For those ready to go further, Xero’s partnership with Sumday provides access to carbon accounting tools, allowing businesses to measure and manage their environmental impact with greater accuracy.

“Our role is to support small businesses at every stage,” says Somers. “It’s about providing the right tools at the right time, so businesses can take action in a way that makes sense for them.”

A practical step forward for small business sustainability

Xero’s Sustainability Hub is free to access and reflects a broader shift toward making sustainability more practical, accessible and commercially relevant for small businesses.

By focusing on clear, actionable tools, it supports businesses to not only respond to growing expectations, but to build stronger, more resilient operations over time.