Imagine a French SME, like a small textile company in Lyon, whose costs are rising and reputation is faltering in the face of the climate emergency. In 2025, the carbon transition is no longer an option, but a necessity, and it could well turn its challenges into opportunities.
With global warming threatening to reach +1.5°C by 2040, according to the IPCC, and ambitious European targets - carbon neutrality by 2050 via the Green Deal, as reported by the European Commission - French SMEs and ETIs are at the heart of a major change. In France, the National Low-Carbon Strategy (SNBC) sets clear targets: to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, estimated at 400 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent in 2024, to 185 million by 2030, according to the Ministry of Ecological Transition.
But why is this transition so crucial for you?
- With the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) coming into force in 2025, companies must now publish a detailed carbon footprint, including direct (Scope 1), indirect (Scope 2) and supply chain (Scope 3) emissions.
- Customers, for their part, are increasingly demanding sustainable players: 60% of French consumers prefer environmentally-friendly companies, according to a recent CREDOC study.
Ignoring this trend entails risks - fines, loss of markets, rising energy costs - but embracing it opens doors to subsidies, a stronger CSR image, and increased competitiveness.
How do you get there? This practical guide takes you behind the scenes of the carbon transition, with Keewe's Green FX as a lever for integrating sustainable finance into your core business.
What is the carbon transition? It's the move towards a low-carbon economy, where companies reduce their GHG emissions - such as CO2, methane or nitrous oxide - to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, in line with the Paris Agreement and the European Green Deal. This transition affects three types of emissions, defined by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol):
- Scope 1: Direct emissions, such as the fuel used by your vehicles or plants. For example, a small road haulage business can emit around 10 tonnes of CO2 per year from its diesel trucks, according to typical ADEME data.
- Scope 2 : Indirect emissions linked to the energy you purchase, such as electricity drawn from the grid. An industrial ETI can emit 15 tonnes of CO2 per year via its electricity, if it comes from non-renewable sources, according to Carbone 4 estimates.
- Scope 3: Indirect emissions from your supply chain, often the most significant. For a small textile company, 40% of its 150 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year come from its Asian suppliers - transport, production - according to the French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME).
In 2024, French SMEs and ETIs emitted an average of between 150 and 200 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year, the majority of which via Scope 3 (suppliers, logistics, ADEME). The goal is ambitious: to reduce these emissions by 55% by 2030, according to the EU's Fit for 55 plan, and to reach net zero by 2050, as stipulated in the SNBC.
For novice companies, this transition may seem complex, but it represents a unique opportunity to stand out, innovate and meet regulatory and societal expectations.
Integrating the carbon transition into your strategy requires a methodical yet accessible approach. Here are the key stages, illustrated by real initiatives or typical examples, and concrete financial levers:
Start by carrying out a Bilan Carbone with the ADEME method, a simple, free tool for assessing your emissions. Let's take the fictitious example of an agri-food SME based in Bordeaux, which measures its annual 180 tonnes of CO2 in 2024 and discovers that 65% comes from its international suppliers (transport, production), according to ADEME's typical data on Scope 3 emissions from SMEs. This step, essential for CSRD 2025, reveals your priority levers.
Next, define a clear trajectory by following the SNBC or Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Take the fictitious example of a small textile company in Lille, France, which commits to reducing its GHG emissions by 20% over three years, targeting its suppliers and energy, in line with the -55% 2030 target, as recommended by the SNBC and SBTi. Let's take the fictitious example of an ETI in the metallurgy industry in Lyon, which aims to reduce its GHGs by 30% over five years, validating its trajectory via SBTi to reinforce its CSR credibility, in line with SNBC recommendations.
Then implement concrete actions for a low-carbon company:
- Energy optimization and consumption reduction : Switch to LED lighting, heat pumps or solar panels. For example, a manufacturing SME in Nantes invested in solar panels in 2024, saving 10% of its energy and 5 tons of CO2 per year, while reducing its bill by €15,000, according to an ADEME 2024 report on solar projects for SMEs.
- Select responsible suppliers and purchasing: Favor local or certified low-carbon suppliers. For example, an agri-food SME in Provence chose regional producers for its vegetables, reducing its transport emissions by 15% (12 tons of CO2 per year), while securing its supply, as reported in an ADEME 2024 study on responsible purchasing and Scope 3 emissions.
- Adopt sustainable mobility and green logistics : Replace vehicles with electric options or opt for sea freight, 80% less emissive than air freight, according to the French Ministry of Ecological Transition. For example, a logistics SME in Marseille switched to sea freight for its Asian imports, cutting its emissions by 20 tonnes of CO2 annually, according to a 2024 analysis of green logistics by the French Ministry of Ecological Transition.
-Focus on eco-design of products and sustainable packaging: Recycle 50% of your packaging or design sustainable products. For example, a cosmetics SME in Paris recycled its bottles in 2024, reducing its emissions by 8% (6 tons of CO2 per year), while attracting eco-responsible customers, according to a Carbone 4 2024 survey on eco-design.
To finance these transformations, explore the financial levers available:
-Green grants and financing: ADEME has released €50 million in 2024 for low-carbon projects, such as a €100,000 grant awarded to a solar SME in Toulouse for its panels, or €200,000 for a wind power ETI in Bordeaux, according to an official ADEME 2024 press release.
- Sustainable bonds and green loans: Green bonds, with $41.6 billion traded in 2017 and projected growth to $62 billion in 2025, according to Bloomberg, are financing transitions like a €2 million green loan obtained by an industrial ETI in Strasbourg for its solar equipment in 2024. Green loans from French banks will account for 15% of SME financing in 2024, according to a BNP Paribas 2024 study.
These steps and financing make the carbon transition accessible, profitable and sustainable, even for novice SMEs/ETIs, strengthening their competitiveness and image.
Challenges: cost and complexity
The carbon transition, while an opportunity, presents obstacles for SMEs in 2025. Initial costs - often between 50,000 and 100,000 euros for initial investments, as reported in an analysis by Medef 2024 - and the complexity of CSRD (GHG reporting) are holding companies back. The risk of greenwashing, with 30% of French SMEs accused of deceptive practices in 2024 to attract customers, according to a UFC-Que Choisir survey, also threatens their credibility. But these challenges are surmountable: reporting training, ADEME subsidies and CSR audits can limit mistakes, as a Carbone 4 2025 guide shows.
Opportunities: greater competitiveness and growth
The opportunities, however, are promising. CSR boosts your competitiveness: 60% of French customers prefer sustainable companies, according to a CREDOC 2024 study, and ADEME subsidies reduce costs by 20-30%. Low-carbon certifications, such as ADEME's "Bas-Carbone" label, attract 45% of new customers, according to a Carbone 4 2025 analysis. ESG financing reached 18% of investments in 2022, projected at 25% in 2025, and green bonds, at $41.6 billion in 2017, are expected to grow to $62 billion in 2025, according to Bloomberg. For SMEs, going green is not a luxury, but a winning strategy that strengthens leadership and growth.
Green finance propels the carbon transition, and Keewe's Green FX becomes a strategic lever for your SMEs/ETIs, integrating sustainable finance at the heart of your business.
Banks and fintechs play a key role
nstitutions such as BNP Paribas offer green loans to finance sustainable projects, such as a €1 million loan granted in 2024 to a solar SME in Lille for its panels, according to a BNP Paribas 2024 report. Fintechs like Keewe are innovating with integrated carbon solutions, making it easier for SMEs to access green financing. For example, an industrial SME in Bordeaux obtained 500,000 euros in green financing via a bank in 2024 to renovate its energy park, boosting its performance and image, according to BNP Paribas and AFG 2024 reports on green loans for SMEs.
Impact investing and green financing explode
ESG financing represents 18% of investments in 2022, with growth to 25% in 2025, according to a Morgan Stanley 2024 study. Green bonds, up from $41.6 billion in 2017 to a projected $62 billion in 2025, according to Bloomberg, are financing transitions like a wind energy ETI in Nantes, which raised €2 million for its equipment in 2024 via green bonds, according to Bloomberg and AFG data on the growth of sustainable bonds in 2025. SMEs are accessing these bonds via fintechs, increasing their green investments by 15% in 2024, according to an AFG 2024 analysis.
Keewe's Green FX as a strategic lever
But at the heart of this transformation, Keewe's Green FX stands out:
- Green FX measures the carbon footprint of your international payments (Scope 3), simplifying your reporting for CSRD 2025 while integrating sustainable finance into your transactions.
- Each payment sees 15% of our revenues reinvested in sustainable projects - reforestation in Madagascar, marine pollution clean-up in Asia, support for local wildlife in Latin America - offsetting up to 7.5 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per 50,000 euro transfer, according to our 2024 data.
Let's take the fictitious example of a textile SME in Marseille, which has reduced its Forex costs by 20%, strengthened its CSR by offsetting 10 tonnes of CO2 in 2024 with Keewe's Green FX, and
gained a competitive edge with CSR customers, placing sustainable finance at the heart of its payments, according to a typical Carbone 4 analysis of the impact of sustainable solutions.
Green FX is not just a tool : it's your lever for aligning economic performance and positive impact, transforming every transaction into a responsible and competitive act, at the heart of your business.
The carbon transition is a golden opportunity for your SME/ETI in 2025, merging economic performance and sustainability. Carrying out a Bilan Carbone, defining a clear trajectory, adopting concrete actions (energy, suppliers, mobility, eco-design), mobilizing financial levers (subsidies, green bonds), and exploiting green finance with Keewe's Green FX position you as a CSR leader.
Faced with CSRD requirements, customer expectations (60% prefer sustainable companies, CREDOC 2024) and the costs of inaction (financial risks, fines), don't delay. With Green FX, integrate sustainable finance at the heart of your payments, boosting your competitiveness and your impact on the planet.
Take action with Keewe on www.keewe.eu - transform your strategy, today, for a green and prosperous future!