Evaluation and Impact Analysis of Corporate Climate Protection Measures in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Corporate carbon reduction measures are crucial in mitigating climate change, particularly within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This paper presents a methodological approach for assessing the impact of climate protection interventions and corporate measures. The approach is applied on the example of measures initiated through a three-year publicly-funded applied research project in Germany. In this example, the impact is measured in two impact chains: (1) Specific support for SMEs in selecting and implementing climate protection measures through workshops and seminars, (2) Broad information campaign to inform enterprises about climate strategies and motivate climate protection measures. Through a comprehensive analysis of data collected from the SMEs participating in the project, the research reveals substantial impacts resulting from the implementation of climate protection measures during the project. The measures are categorized into distinct solution clusters and evaluated based on their effects on reducing the corporate carbon footprint (CCF). This paper offers valuable perspectives on the effectiveness of different approaches and their potential implications for business sustainability and climate protection strategies.