Breaking down barriers

The UNH Sustainability Capstone Project explores how to help small businesses participate

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) make up the majority of businesses in NH and play a vital role in driving economic growth, innovation and job creation.

Despite their importance, SMEs often face far greater challenges than larger corporations when it comes to adopting and implementing sustainability initiatives, as they lack dedicated sustainability staff, financial flexibility and access to technical expertise.

This UNH Sustainability capstone project, completed in partnership with New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility (NHBSR), explores these barriers and identifies ways to improve how sustainability resources are structured, communicated and accessed by SMEs across the state. By improving how resources are organized and communicated, NHBSR’s redesigned Measure What Matters program and Resource Ecosystem Map have the potential to significantly increase SME engagement.

The primary goal of this research is not only to understand the challenges SMEs face, but also to develop practical, actionable solutions that can better connect businesses with existing sustainability support. A central outcome of the project is the creation of a Resource Ecosystem Map, designed to centralize and simplify access to sustainability programs, tools and services available throughout New Hampshire.

To ensure the findings were both researchbased and directly applicable, the project used an action-oriented, mixed-methods approach. This methodology combined document and program reviews, stakeholder interviews and a virtual SME focus group.

The team reviewed sustainability initiatives across New Hampshire, conducted interviews with 22 organizations offering sustainability-related services, and facilitated a focus group with SMEs from industries including finance, food manufacturing, marketing and outdoor recreation. Together, these methods provided a comprehensive understanding of both the supply side (available resources) and the demand side (SME needs and barriers) of sustainability support.

Across all methods, a consistent finding emerged: SMEs are highly motivated to pursue sustainability but lack the capacity and support systems to do so effectively. Three core barriers were identified. First, limited internal capacity is a major challenge; most SMEs do not have dedicated sustainability personnel and must assign these responsibilities on top of existing workloads. Second, financial constraints make it difficult to invest in sustainability improvements, particularly when initiatives require high upfront costs with long-term returns. Third, complexity and uncertainty often prevent action, as businesses struggle to determine where to start or which sustainability efforts will have the greatest impact.

Despite these barriers, SMEs expressed strong motivation to engage in sustainability.

Drivers include alignment with organizational values, increasing customer expectations for responsible practices, and employee interest in environmental and social impact.

However, participants emphasized that for sustainability support to be effective, it must be practical, easy to access and tailored to the realities of small business operations. SMEs expressed strong interest in centralized resource hubs, step-by-step implementation guides, and peer learning opportunities such as workshops and collaborative networks.

The main deliverable of this project is the Resource Ecosystem Map, a structured database of 39 no-cost and low-cost sustainability resources. These resources are organized by service type (such as energy efficiency, waste reduction and compliance support), eligibility requirements, and provider type, including nonprofits, government agencies, universities and utilities.

Overall, this project demonstrates that New Hampshire already has a strong and diverse sustainability support network. However, the primary challenge is not a lack of resources, but rather difficulty in accessing and navigating them. Many SMEs that are eager to act on sustainability are left without clear or simple pathways forward.

By improving how resources are organized and communicated, NHBSR’s redesigned Measure What Matters program and Resource Ecosystem Map have the potential to significantly increase SME engagement. Key recommendations include simplifying access to resources, prioritizing actionable implementation tools over high-level information, and expanding peer learning opportunities to sustain long-term engagement.

Improving access to sustainability support for SMEs is essential for advancing a more inclusive, practical and effective transition toward a sustainable economy in NH.

The UNH capstone team consisted of seniors Ella Longacre, Ellacoya Kunz, Talia Kay and Margaret McGregor. New Hampshire Business for Social Responsibility produces “Sustainability Spotlight” monthly for NH Business Review.