Stark Net Zero gap revealed among UK SMEs

• Almost a third (32%) of UK SMEs have no Net-Zero plan in place, despite the Government’s target to meet Net Zero by 2050. 
• While Net Zero is a priority for over half of SMEs (54%), other financial pressures have pushed it down their agendas. 
• Over two-thirds of SMEs (63%) are worried about how much Net Zero will cost their business. 

 

With climate talks at the COP28 conference ending this week, all attention has been on how the UK is maintaining and driving forward its commitment to achieving Net Zero for a 2050 deadline. But following the Government’s revised green targets earlier this year, research from specialist business lending provider, Simply Asset Finance, reveals that UK SMEs are still unclear on how they’ll meet climate goals. 

Now, almost three years since the UK Government announced Net Zero targets ahead of COP 26, almost a third (32%) of UK SMEs admit they have no Net-Zero plan in place for their business. With SMEs accounting for 99% of all businesses in the UK, this represents a significant portion of the UK’s business population. But perhaps most concerningly, this lack of commitment is not a result of complacency – over half (54%) have outlined Net Zero as a priority – but because SMEs increasingly feel alone in their pursuit of it.  

Over two-thirds of SMEs (63%) are worried about how much Net Zero will cost their business, while more than half (58%) feel they don’t have enough support to achieve their targets. And while initiatives such as UK Business Climate Hub– launched earlier this year – have been set up to help UK businesses tackle climate change, one in ten (11%) don’t know where to start to implement a Net Zero plan. In fact, when asked what government policies or initiatives would have the greatest impact on their businesses, a fifth (22%) agreed that more support for achieving Net Zero or other ESG goals would be needed. 

The concerns small businesses have expressed are significant enough to have led business leaders to deprioritise their Net Zero goals. Over half (54%) of SMEs said they have had to reduce their focus on Net Zero targets due to financial pressures. The main reason that SMEs had introduced, or improved reporting of ESG criteria in their business was because their partners or suppliers had demanded it (21%) – with around one in ten (13%) doing so. 

 

Mike Randall, CEO at Simply Asset Finance, said: “The impact of escalating costs on small businesses creates a significant dilemma as they try to balance the growing financial pressure with the desire to grow and future-proof their business. The investment required to reach net-zero is something they are incredibly conscious of, but it was acknowledged as a significant undertaking pre-pandemic, let alone now. The will is there, but unfortunately the means are often not.  

“The recovery loan scheme (RLS), introduced by the government in 2021, played an important role in stabilising the availability of funding for businesses during, and after, the pandemic. However, it is soon ending and without the reassurance of this guaranteed support, businesses are being forced to scale back business investment and deprioritise their climate commitments. By either extending RLS or repurposing the scheme to support green investment, the government could make significant strides towards supporting these businesses so they are bolstered for the long term. 

“A net-zero shift should not just become achievable for businesses across the UK, but also beneficial to their business models and balance sheets. It’s a competitive advantage, not an unaffordable burden.” 

 

ENDS 

Methodology 

Research carried out by Censuswide among 796 SME business leaders in the UK, aged 18+ (defined as director level and above). The fieldwork was carried out between 03.10.23 – 19.10.23. 

Media contacts 

Kathryn Cleaver/Henry Clatworthy  

Teamspirit  

simplyassetfinance@teamspirit.co.uk  

About Simply Asset Finance  

Simply Asset Finance was founded in April 2017 by a team of asset finance specialists, in response to the need for innovation and disruption in the sector.  It offers an alternative financial model to banks and looks beyond a balance sheet and credit rating, supported by a digitally enabled customer journey. Simply Asset Finance consider a customer’s potential and work with them to identify and implement the best solution to help them succeed. Their highly experienced sales team is made up of people with extensive knowledge of the industries they lend to. This means they understand the day-to-day challenges that businesses face and the dedicated support teams guide customers through the process, helping them every step of the way. 

Simply Asset Finance has lent more than £1bn to over 7,100 small and medium businesses across a wide range of sectors including transport, construction, manufacturing, recycling, and agriculture. 

SMEs growth opportunities at risk without government attention

• 64% of UK SMEs want more resources and support to be made available to support them and their businesses 
• Almost half of SMEs (48%) admit that they don’t know where to look to find support for their business 
• More support for rising energy bills and other utility costs cited as the policy that would have the most impact (33%) 

With interest rates likely high for the foreseeable future, SMEs are reassessing their outlook and trying to set a clear course for the future. But according to research from Simply Asset Finance, the specialist business lending provider, significant gaps remain around the support on offer. 

Around two-thirds (64%) of UK SMEs want more resources and support to be made available to support them and their businesses. What is particularly worrying is the existence of such a clear awareness gap – almost half of SMEs (48%) admit that they don’t know where to look to find support for their business.  

It is clear that the support currently on offer needs an overhaul. With the Autumn Statement round the corner, attention is shifting to what SMEs in all regions of the UK need to help their business not just survive but thrive. 

Taking the time to listen to the UK’s businesses, their priorities are clear. The top policy that would have the most meaningful impact on businesses is more support for rising energy bills and other utility costs (33%). But additional financial support, specifically, better accessibility to government grants or loans (29%) as well as a reduction in corporation tax/corporate tax relief (26%) complete the top three. 

Then, when asked what government can do to specifically support growth itself, it’s local investment – more investment to support regional project work (34%). But tax incentives are deemed crucial too, whether it’s on regional project work (29%), on regional hiring work (28%), or on regional R&D work (27%).  

 

Mike Randall, CEO at Simply Asset Finance, said: “SMEs up and down the country are ready to seize on growth opportunities and be the engine of the UK’s economic recovery. But significant action is required to keep UK business on the right track and ensure they’re in a position to seize them. The Autumn Statement offers a valuable chance for the government to properly and substantively demonstrate their support for UK business. 

“A significant and cost-effective step would be to simply make it easier for SMEs to invest in asset purchases. Just being able to expense it could have a transformative impact on businesses across the country. But with the scale of the challenge ahead, an extension of the Recovery Loan Scheme or a replacement with similar underlying aims would provide SMEs with real certainty, as well as the confidence to invest in their future.  

“But the role of an experienced financial partner is critical too. Lenders need to step up service and work much harder to find and share ways to support SMEs, including by providing much needed clarity on the range of funding options available to fuel growth, such as asset finance. The scale of the growth opportunity is significant but turning potential into reality will require industry and government to pull in the same direction.”  

 

ENDS 

Methodology 

Research carried out by Censuswide among 796 SME business leaders in the UK, aged 18+ (defined as director level and above). The fieldwork was carried out between 03.10.23 – 19.10.23. 

Media contacts 

Kathryn Cleaver/Henry Clatworthy  

Teamspirit  

simplyassetfinance@teamspirit.co.uk  

About Simply Asset Finance  

Simply Asset Finance was founded in April 2017 by a team of asset finance specialists, in response to the need for innovation and disruption in the sector.  It offers an alternative financial model to banks and looks beyond a balance sheet and credit rating, supported by a digitally enabled customer journey. Simply Asset Finance consider a customer’s potential and work with them to identify and implement the best solution to help them succeed. Their highly experienced sales team is made up of people with extensive knowledge of the industries they lend to. This means they understand the day-to-day challenges that businesses face and the dedicated support teams guide customers through the process, helping them every step of the way. 

Simply Asset Finance has lent more than £1bn to over 7,100 small and medium businesses across a wide range of sectors including transport, construction, manufacturing, recycling, and agriculture. 

Productivity and growth forfeited as SMEs mitigate rising costs

• Rising operational costs a top concern for 79% of UK SMEs  
• The profile of funding they have accumulated over the past years is no longer fit for purpose with 86% saying they would like to restructure  
• This is stopping them from investing in productivity, widening the UK / G7 gap even further – just one in five businesses have invested in new technology (22%) or equipment and machinery (20%) 

SMEs across the UK are at risk of missing out on hard earned growth opportunities, as they battle the dual challenge of escalating costs and underwhelming productivity. 

New research carried out by Simply Asset Finance, the specialist business lending provider, casts a light not just on business concerns throughout the UK and its regions, but also on how they are preparing to tackle them and what it means longer-term. 

Looking at UK SMEs’ top concerns, rising operational (79%) and supply chain (75%) costs top the list. But productivity (72%) comes a close third. Crucially, trying to manage the top two means that too often, businesses are having to prioritise meeting spiralling costs over investing to solve their productivity issues and readying themselves for growth.  This is further evidenced by the fact that a fifth (20%) of businesses have had to overhaul their finances in the past year, with just 13% saying this was to help expand the business. An overwhelming 86% said they would restructure their debts if they had the opportunity, highlighting that the profile of funding they have accumulated over the past years is no longer fit for purpose. 

In the past 12 months, just one in five businesses have invested in new technology (22%) or equipment and machinery (20%). And one in five (20%) have introduced new/improved training programmes. It’s in the North East where we find businesses most readily investing for growth: in the past year, almost a third (32%) have invested in new technology and 28% in new equipment or machinery. Comparatively, the corresponding figures for the South East are 18% and 15%.  

Among these SMEs, cost concerns are such that the average SME has around £85k set aside for contingency costs – a significant sum that’s not being invested in growth. Notably, there’s also a huge disparity between the regions in terms on the size of their contingency pot. While SMEs in the East of England have £132k on average, those in the South West have just £52k.  

Its widely acknowledged that SMEs are the engine of UK growth, making up 99% of UK business1, but as a cohort they feel overlooked and undervalued. More than half (52%) feel their business needs are misunderstood or overlooked in today’s climate. Businesses in the East of England feel the most disconnected, with almost three quarters (74%) saying that they feel like their business needs are misunderstood or overlooked. 

Despite this, confidence is high when it comes to business outlook. More than two in five (83%) of UK SMEs say they’re optimistic about the future success of their business. In the West Midlands is also where we find SMEs the most optimistic about the future for their business (92%). 

 

% of SMEs optimistic about their future
West Midlands	92%
Yorkshire & the Humber	88%
East of England	87%
Greater London	84%
East Midlands	84%
North East	84%
South East	83%
North West	78%
South West	78%
Scotland	77%

 

 

Mike Randall, CEO at Simply Asset Finance, said: “The last few years have been a tale of unparalleled hardship for UK SMEs. After a seemingly endless grind through Covid, economic stagnation, and spiralling inflation, there is growth on the horizon – and the fact that some many SMEs are optimistic about their outlook is incredibly encouraging.

“But if they are failed now, then all that hard work will have been for nothing. It’s essential that businesses across the UK don’t just have suitable funding and support available to them, but that they know about it too.Businessesshouldn’t need to hold back cash that could have been invested in growthin order to keep the lights on. Crucially, both their own and the wider economic situation may have shiftedsince they last structured their financing meaning that it may be possible, beneficial, and in factadvised, that they restructure their debt. This could help give them much welcome breathing room that they just didn’t realise was now available. 

“It’s here where experienced and innovative finance providers really show their worth; by looking beyond the balance sheet to understand the unique wants and needs of SMEs – then giving them the on the ground support they need to seize on those hard earned and transformative growth opportunities in regions all over the UK” 

Earlier this year, Simply Asset Finance surpassed the £1bn lending milestone just five years since its 2017 inception, having funded over 13,000 agreements for more than 7,100 businesses across the UK. 

 

ENDS

Methodology

Research carried out by Censuswideamong 796 SME business leaders in the UK, aged 18+ (defined as director level and above). The fieldwork was carried out between 03.10.23 – 19.10.23.

Media contacts

Kathryn Cleaver/Henry Clatworthy 

Teamspirit 

simplyassetfinance@teamspirit.co.uk

About Simply Asset Finance 

Simply Asset Finance was founded in April 2017 by a team of asset finance specialists, in response to the need for innovation and disruption in the sector.  It offers an alternative financial model to banks and looks beyond a balance sheet and credit rating, supported by a digitally enabled customer journey. Simply Asset Finance consider a customer’s potential and work with them to identify and implement the best solution to help them succeed. Their highly experienced sales team is made up of people with extensive knowledge of the industries they lend to. This means they understand the day-to-day challenges that businesses face and the dedicated support teams guide customers through the process, helping them every step of the way.

Simply Asset Finance has lent more than £1bn to over 7,100 small and medium businesses across a wide range of sectors including transport, construction, manufacturing, recycling, and agriculture.