AWS, Sage Earth Predict Small Business Accountants Will Become Carbon Accountants
March 11, 2024 by Joe Panettieri
How will small businesses measure, manage and report their carbon footprints? The journey will involve traditional accountants expanding their expertise to become carbon accountants, according to George Sandilands, VP of Sage Earth.
George Sandilands, VP, Sage Earth
“I believe accountants will deliver carbon accounting at scale," Sandilands said during the Sage Transform 2024 conference for partners and customers. With that vision in mind, he described how Sage is working with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to make carbon accounting software readily available for small businesses in numerous countries.
The effort involves Sage Earth, a carbon accounting software platform that's based on Sage's December 2022 acquisition of Spherics. Next up, Sage Earth will be available in the AWS Marketplace in the UK and Ireland in the coming weeks, with plans to extend to North America and across Europe over the next 18 months, the company said.
Sage Earth: Small Business Carbon Accounting Software Details
As of March 2023, Sage Earth has roughly 6,000 users in the United Kingdom. The company expects that user based to climb significantly since 90% of the world's GDP (gross domestic product) is now committed to net-zero initiatives.
Small businesses, by extension, will need to embrace carbon reporting in order to access various financial services and supply chains, while also navigating various regulations, Sandilands predicted.
Rahul Sareen, GM, sustainability solutions, AWS
Reinforcing that point, Amazon has mandated that all of its suppliers report their carbon emissions, Rahil Sareen, general manager for AWS sustainability solutions, told Transform attendees.
Moreover, Sareen and Sandilands both mentioned a California regulation that may force enterprises, mid-market and small businesses to ultimately report their carbon footprints.
Among the key questions to consider: How will AWS and Sage train small business accountants to master and implement carbon accounting software? We'll be watching and listening for answers.
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