Sustainability Spotlight: The competitive edge

Sustainability Accelerator Program targets companies with fewer than 200 employees

Small businesses drive New Hampshire’s economy, accounting for roughly 97% of all state enterprises and generating the majority of its jobs, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Collectively, they also account for a significant share of energy consumption, waste output and supply chain activity. When these companies operate more efficiently, the benefits ripple statewide: lower emissions, reduced landfill waste, lighter strain on local infrastructure and stronger bottom lines that preserve jobs.

The challenge is that most sustainability programs aren’t designed for them.

What exists tends to target large corporations with dedicated staff and six-figure budgets, leaving the businesses that make up nearly all of New Hampshire’s economy without accessible, right-sized support. That gap is what the NHBSR Sustainability Accelerator Program was built to close.

Developed by NHBSR’s Measure What Matters committee in partnership with the UNH Sustainability Institute, the Accelerator gives small and mid-size New Hampshire businesses expert guidance and hands-on support to build a real sustainability plan — at a pace and price point that respects the realities of running a small operation.

The program grew out of findings from NHBSR’s own work with New Hampshire businesses, deepened by a UNH sustainability capstone team that interviewed 22 organizations and facilitated focus groups across industries.

The research confirmed that small business leaders do not lack motivation; rather, they lack operational capacity, clear starting points and scalable support. Even incremental improvements in energy use, waste management and material sourcing generate significant cumulative economic and environmental impacts across a small business–driven state.

The centerpiece of the initiative is the Pilot Cohort, which selects six New Hampshire businesses for a structured, year-long experience designed to yield measurable results. Cohort activities include:

• Materiality Assessment and Sustainability Planning Workshops: Four full-day sessions to identify critical environmental and social priority areas and map out strategic goals.

• Embedded Sustainability Fellow: Each business receives a fully funded UNH graduate fellow over the summer to execute a chosen priority project.

• Ongoing Support: A six-month progress check-in and access to an ever-growing statewide peer network navigating similar challenges.

In addition to the intensive cohort, the Accelerator provides two free self-service tools for any New Hampshire business:

• Resource Hub: A searchable directory of 39 vetted, low- or no-cost sustainability resources covering energy efficiency, waste reduction and compliance across nonprofit utility, and government providers.

• Measure What Matters Survey: A modular self-assessment across five impact areas — climate and energy, environment, workplace, community and governance — that delivers immediate baseline data and tailored recommendations.

Beyond environmental impact, sustainability has quietly shifted from a corporate social responsibility metric to a core business risk-management strategy. Small and mid-sized enterprises face growing pressure from enterprise buyers demanding Scope 3 carbon reporting, insurance providers raising rates on unmitigated environmental risks and job-seekers favoring purpose-driven workplaces.

Participating in structured frameworks like the Accelerator helps business owners de-risk their supply chain, lower operational overhead through reduced resource consumption and protect market share against larger competitors already publishing sustainability reports.

By translating broad environmental targets into operational cost savings and compliance readiness, local businesses turn sustainability from a perceived administrative expense into a durable competitive advantage.

If your business has fewer than 200 employees, operates in New Hampshire, and is ready to move beyond aspiration to action, we want to hear from you. No sustainability background is required — just a willingness to do the work.

Applications close Oct. 9. Visit nhbsr.org or contact us at zeina@nhbsr.org to apply.

The Measure What Matters Committee helps businesses turn sustainability goals into meaningful action through peer learning, resource-sharing and collaboration. New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility produces “Sustainability Spotlight” monthly for NH Business Review.