As a sole trader, I don’t have the time or team to create a full-blown impact report, yet I still want to measure the footprint of my life and business. It matters to me that the work I do in the world aligns with the values I hold close: Regeneration, care for the Earth, and honesty about the impact I have as a human and in my community.
Recently, I discovered ClimateHero, a quick and accessible tool that helps people like me calculate their carbon footprint without needing a sustainability department. It took me through a simple series of questions and gave me a snapshot of where I stand.
The result? 5.9 tonnes of CO₂ a year.
The majority of that comes from air travel. My sons live in Australia, and while my heart longs to be in two places at once, the reality is that visiting them means flights. It’s a constant tension in my life, the joy of being with family, the sadness of distance, and the environmental cost of bridging that gap.
But there was good news too. My home footprint was 1.9 tonnes, and my consumption was just 0.5 tonnes. Being vegetarian (primarily vegan), buying locally, using organic box deliveries, and sourcing food from gardens have all made a real difference. It felt encouraging to see the choices I’ve been making reflected in the numbers.
How does this compare?
To put this in context:
- The average UK person has a footprint of around 10–12.7 tonnes of CO₂ a year. My 5.9 tonnes is well below that, thanks to the lifestyle choices I’ve made.
- For small businesses, carbon footprints vary widely. UK SME guidance often quotes about 15 tonnes CO₂e per business per year, or 1–6 tonnes per employee, depending on the sector. Many service-based sole traders like me will be at the lower end of that range, unless flights are frequent.
- Many micro businesses don’t measure emissions at all because of time and cost constraints. That’s why quick tools like ClimateHero are so valuable; they give us a simple starting point without overwhelming us.
So, for a UK sole trader in services, 5.9 tonnes is already lean compared with the national average and likely competitive with many micro businesses once like-for-like boundaries are set.
What the numbers tell me
- Home (1.9 t) and consumption (0.5 t) are strong. My food and lifestyle choices are working.
- Flights dominate. Visiting family in Australia is my biggest impact. This is a deeply human challenge. Balancing kinship with care for the Earth
A simple path forward
I’ve learned that measuring impact doesn’t need to be complicated. Here’s how I’m thinking about it as a sole trader:
- Set a travel budget. Rather than aiming for perfection, I can decide how often I fly to Australia and treat that as my main “big-ticket” footprint.
- Define my boundaries. I’ll keep a simple note of what I count as my business footprint. For example, home office energy, work travel, digital tools, deliveries, and events. This way, I stay consistent and transparent.
- Keep it simple and steady. ClimateHero gives me an annual snapshot. Each quarter, I’ll add one small improvement, like switching my home office to 100% green electricity, choosing trains first for UK trips, or asking suppliers one extra question about their own practices.
A relatively new tool for small, purpose-driven businesses is the Better Business Standard (BBS), developed by the Better Business Network (BBN).
It’s an accreditation framework built for UK SMEs and sole traders to prove and improve their impact across seven pillars, which include:
Governance, People, Climate & Environment, Nature & Biodiversity, Community, Customers and Innovation.
Becoming certified or working through the Standard helps you turn what you’re already doing into credible evidence, without needing big consultants.
For BBN members, you can access the Standard as part of membership; non-members can join and get started (the membership starts around £500/year for small businesses. If you’d like to explore it, you can start here.
Why this matters
For me, this wasn’t about perfection. It was about awareness. Measuring my footprint gave me a clear, simple picture that I can work with as a starting point.
As sole traders and small business owners, we may not have the luxury of big sustainability budgets, but we do have the power of transparency, story, and small, consistent actions. And together, these ripple out.
ClimateHero made that easy. It suits those of us with limited time and resources, yet a big desire to align our business with our values. Measuring your footprint doesn’t have to be complicated. Sometimes the simplest step is enough to spark deeper shifts, and for me, this was one of those moments. There are other brilliant small business resources out there, as well as ClimateHero. Here are some more for you to explore. Let me know if this article helped you.
UK businesses & platforms for carbon measurement & consultancy
| Name | What they do / strengths | Notes for sole traders or micro businesses |
|---|---|---|
|
Small99 learn more |
Offers a footprint estimator, tools, an “Action Box” planner, workshops and support for small businesses. | Very suitable: designed for small businesses with simplified tools and actionable guidance. |
|
Auditel (Carbon Solutions) learn more |
Carbon footprint consulting, net zero planning, reduction strategies. | Traditional consultancy that helps formalise your footprint and reduction path. |
|
Small World Consulting (SW-Consulting) learn more |
Helps organisations measure their impact, supply chain footprint, and sustainability strategy. | Good when you want to include your suppliers and wider scope in measurement. |
|
Green Small Business learn more |
Tailored service for SMEs: carbon footprinting, verification, training, and environmental management system (EMS). | Very friendly to small businesses. They understand “less is more” when resources are tight. |
|
EcoAct learn more |
Global consultancy supporting carbon measurement, net zero strategy, and scope 3. | Useful when you need more depth or credibility, for example if clients ask. |
|
CO2balance learn more |
Profit-for-purpose carbon management consultancy offering life cycle analysis, footprinting, and certification. | Supports both measurement and meaningful offsets or “CarbonZero” labels. |
|
Tomson Consulting learn more |
Carbon management plans, assessment, reporting, and reduction support. | Good mid-level option with structure but without big overhead. |
|
DitchCarbon learn more |
SaaS platform focused on measuring and managing scope 3 emissions, especially supplier emissions. | Helpful as your business grows and you want to include the supply chain. |
|
Innovative Energy learn more |
They can assess and measure all scopes for any size business while also embedding best practices. | Versatile option if you want full-scope coverage with implementation support. |
With a background in pioneering socially responsible companies, Jannine Barron now offers Regenerative Business Mentoring and Regenerative Business Design for Founders seeking to incorporate Conscious Marketing, Business Strategy, Intuitive Guidance, Leadership Coaching and Nature Immersion Days for radical transformation. Her conviction is informed by what she calls The 13 Wisdoms essential for the contemporary paradigm shift needed in these times.
You can subscribe to Jannine’s inspiring short newsletters, event invitations, and business mentoring tips here. You can read more articles written by Jannine on Medium, or LinkedIn.
