LONDON, Nov. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Following its
commitment to help 30,000 UK small businesses make climate pledges
earlier this year, Intuit Inc. (Nasdaq: INTU), the global
technology platform that makes TurboTax, QuickBooks,
Mint and Credit Karma, has today launched its Intuit
Climate Action Marketplace™ – designed to convert commitment
into action.
It comes as Intuit also announces a new commitment to help 1
million U.S. small businesses cut their carbon emissions by 50% by
2030.
In August 2021, Intuit QuickBooks
pledged to help 30,000 UK-based small businesses declare their
climate commitment through the SME Climate Hub and United
Nations Race to Zero Campaign. Now, through the Intuit Climate
Action Marketplace, any small business and entrepreneur can move
from commitment to action by selecting climate-positive solutions
for their business.
Aimed at small business owners in both the UK and the US, The
Intuit Climate Action Marketplace is an online destination that
provides resources to small businesses to reduce their carbon
emissions at scale, while also helping them save money and grow
their business. With this marketplace, small businesses can find
more sustainable choices to replace high carbon emission activities
with no extra hassle, time or cost.
Chris Leahy, Vice President and
Chief Public Policy Officer at Intuit QuickBooks, says:
"As the financial platform for tens of millions of customers around
the world, we have a unique ability to drive collective climate
action and support small businesses in their pursuit of achieving
net zero.
"The small business community has a critical role in building a
better and more climate-positive future. We are delighted to have
the chance to support them in this – with the right tools to
improve their climate credentials, SMBs can increase their
sustainability and make a tangible positive impact on the
environment."
Small businesses represent 90%[1] of the
global business population, however they are relatively less
involved in efforts to mitigate climate change than larger
corporations. Sustainable solutions are often out of their reach
due to costs, or deprioritised against other small business needs.
A September 2021 QuickBooks Small
Business Index Report[2] found that nearly
all small businesses—a whopping 97%—would like to take action in
the future to be more environmentally responsible.
The Intuit Climate Action Marketplace highlights creative
climate solutions to millions of business owners who want to reduce
the carbon footprint of their small or medium-sized business. Small
business owners and entrepreneurs can access products and services
from 12 initial solution-providers across the energy, travel, food
waste, commuting and procurement sectors. Intuit will continue to
add other relevant categories and solution-providers over
time.
"Small businesses are the backbone of the global economy and can
collectively help us make big strides in solving the climate
crisis," said Cassie Divine, Intuit
Senior Vice President of QuickBooks Platform. "We are committed to
empowering our small business community to make a measurable,
positive impact on the environment, while also helping them run
their business more effectively. Climate change is a palpable
issue, and the new Intuit Climate Action Marketplace makes it
easier for small business owners, self-employed individuals and
entrepreneurs to get connected with climate solutions."
Solutions offered on the Intuit Climate Action Marketplace are
designed to be simple alternatives to typical business operations
solutions, making it feasible and simpler for small businesses to
replace high carbon-emissions activities with more sustainable
solutions, often at an exclusive discount. Founding
solution-providers on the Intuit Climate Action Marketplace
include:
- Octopus Energy for Business (UK): 100% green energy
provider
- Red-Inc (UK): eco-friendly office supplies
- Goodwings (UK/US): net zero business travel booking
- Edenred Benefits (UK/US): commuter benefits and micro-mobility
solutions
- Too Good To Go (UK/US): mobile application that connects
customers to restaurants and stores that have surplus food
- Tradewater (UK/US): refrigerant management provider
- Rheaply (UK/US): resource exchange (circular economy) platform
provider
- EnergySage (US): renewable energy solutions marketplace
- Sendle (US): carbon neutral shipping carrier
- Allumia (US): energy efficiency as a service (EaaS)
- Aspiration (US): Plant Your Change plants a tree by rounding up
the change on every swipe of a customer's debit or credit card
- Copia (US): technology platform that allows businesses to
safely donate their excess food, access enhanced tax deductions,
and receive powerful data to inform food purchasing decisions
With the launch of this marketplace, Intuit is committing to
helping small businesses align to the United Nations Race to Zero
pledge, a global campaign to rally leadership and support to commit
to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 at the
latest.
"Intuit has created a unique pathway for small businesses to
take climate action and align their climate goals with the United
Nations Race to Zero pledge," said Maria
Mendiluce, CEO of the We Mean Business Coalition, the
partnering agency to the United Nations responsible for recruiting
small businesses for the campaign. "We're all striving toward the
same goal at COP26 and beyond-- we're
asking small businesses to take the pledge, commit to a plan,
proceed with immediate action and publish progress at least
annually."
To learn more, visit intuit.com/climatemarketplace. Signup for
Intuit's Small Business Climate Positive Beta program here, or
email sustainability@intuit.com with partnership-related
inquiries.
About Intuit
Intuit is a global technology platform that helps our
customers and communities overcome their most important financial
challenges. Serving approximately 100 million customers worldwide
with TurboTax, QuickBooks, Mint and Credit Karma, we
believe that everyone should have the opportunity to prosper. We
never stop working to find new, innovative ways to make that
possible. Please visit us for the latest information about
Intuit, our products and services, and find us
on social.
[1] WorldBank:
https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/smefinance /
[2] https://quickbooks.intuit.com/r/inspiration/small-business-insights-sep-2021/
September 2021