LONDON, June 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — As global environmental and economic pressures mount, small businesses in the UK are showing that meaningful sustainability action doesn’t need to start with government or global corporations. A new report from Novuna Business Finance highlights how SMEs are tackling environmental challenges head-on, often driven by local needs, not national directives.

The new report, ‘Global Local: Small Business and Sustainability in a Changing World’, presents insight from UK small business owners on how they’re responding to issues like climate change, waste, and energy use — and the barriers standing in their way. Rather than waiting for top-down change, many small businesses are developing their own strategies to operate more sustainably, drawing strength from their ties to local communities.

What’s Holding Businesses Back? The report sheds light on the top sustainability challenges small businesses currently face: Rising energy costs (55%), unpredictable government policy (48%), concerns over inflation and interest rates (40%), global economic disruption (37%) and climate-related concerns (33%)

Despite global uncertainty, the new Novuna report shows UK small businesses remain deeply rooted in their communities and are pushing forward with their own sustainability efforts, often to meet the demands of local customers and their local community. The case study stories featured in this report – are also available in full via The Sustainable Business Podcast.

Jo Morris, Head of Insight at Novuna Business Finance, commented: “I’d like to thank Sea Change Wine, Cambridge Building Services and BilinguaSing for sharing their stories with us in this report and as guest on the ‘Sustainable Business Podcast’. These three businesses, though operating in very different sectors and doing very different things, share something important: they are all making a significant local impact in the communities where they live and work, while also staying mindful of global conversations and actions around climate change and net-zero goals.”

For full unedited versions of the interviews, follow season seven of the Novuna Business Finance Podcast at rss.com/podcasts/sustainablebusiness/

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