For many SMEs, sustainability becomes urgent only when a client, tender or supply chain asks for evidence.
A major customer asks for carbon data. A supplier questionnaire includes questions about emissions, sustainability policies or targets. A tender asks for a Carbon Reduction Plan. Suddenly, something that once felt like a “nice to have” becomes a commercial requirement.
For accountants and advisors, this is where sustainability support is becoming increasingly valuable. SME clients often need practical help understanding what is being asked of them, what evidence they already have, and what steps they need to take next.
PSI Production Services Group is a clear example of what that journey can look like.
Working with The Green Accountants, PSI began taking practical steps to strengthen its sustainability position. The leadership team completed Carbon Literacy training, the wider team followed, and the business began building the foundations it needed to respond more confidently to client and tender requirements.
One year on, PSI’s progress shows how Carbon Literacy can move from awareness into practical commercial confidence.
When sustainability becomes a commercial requirement
For PSI, the turning point came when a major contract opportunity highlighted the growing importance of having a Carbon Reduction Plan in place.
At the time, PSI recognised that sustainability mattered. But, like many SMEs, the commercial value of embedding it into the business had not yet fully landed. When supply chain expectations changed, the cost of being under-prepared became clear.
Rather than treating that moment as a setback, PSI used it as a turning point.
The business invested in Carbon Literacy training, started strengthening its sustainability policy, and began putting clearer evidence in place.
Moving from reactive to ready
Since first sharing their story, PSI has made significant progress.
The business is now 100% Carbon Literate and has a new Carbon Reduction Plan in development for 2025. It has created a more robust sustainability policy, backed by clearer facts and figures, and is preparing to feature its sustainability commitments on a new website.
For Gareth Gordon, Technical Project Manager at PSI, one of the biggest changes is confidence.
Where PSI may previously have hesitated or been unable to respond fully to sustainability requirements, the team can now demonstrate its commitments, evidence its progress and answer sustainability questions more clearly.
Gareth described it as “keeping the company in the ring.”
That phrase captures the commercial reality for many SMEs. Sustainability is not just about winning new work. Increasingly, it is about staying eligible, staying visible and staying competitive.
Stronger tender responses
One of the clearest signs of progress has come through tendering.
Gareth shared that an opportunity PSI had tendered for four years ago came up again. This time, when sustainability questions appeared, PSI was able to give comprehensive answers.
PSI has also received feedback from a tender reviewer that its sustainability submission was among the highest-scoring documents in relation to the bid.
That matters because it shows the real business impact of understanding sustainability properly. This was not just a box-ticking exercise. It helped PSI respond more credibly and confidently when commercial opportunities came up.
It also reflects something The Green Accountants had told PSI early on: businesses may lose work if they do not act, but they can also win work if they do.
Creating momentum across the business
The impact has not only been external.
Carbon Literacy training helped open the door to more internal conversations about sustainability. Gareth shared that after the training, the team had reached a new threshold of understanding. Sustainability felt more practical, more relevant and less out of reach.
That awareness has helped create momentum.
PSI has introduced a salary sacrifice scheme to encourage employees to move to electric vehicles, using Octopus. One team member has already taken up the scheme, and Gareth has also moved to an EV himself.
The business is also making more sustainable use of existing equipment, getting greater value from machines it already owns rather than defaulting to replacement or unnecessary consumption.
These are practical operational steps, but that is exactly where meaningful change often starts for SMEs.
Building credibility in the sector
PSI’s progress is also helping the business connect with wider sustainability networks in its sector.
The company now features on the Theatre Green Book’s Sustainable Suppliers Database and has signed up with Green Arts Northern Ireland, which supports creators and the cultural sector. Gareth is also increasingly involved in wider industry conversations, including sitting in on PLASA sustainability panels.
This shows how sustainability can move a business from simply responding to pressure into actively participating in the future of its sector.
For advisors, it is a useful reminder that sustainability support is not only about compliance. It can help clients strengthen credibility, improve tender readiness and open up new conversations.
The lesson for accountants and advisors
PSI’s story is one many SME clients will recognise.
Supply chain pressure often arrives before businesses feel ready. A client asks for carbon data. A tender requires a Carbon Reduction Plan. A supplier questionnaire asks for evidence of sustainability commitments.
By the time those questions appear, it can already be too late to start from scratch.
That creates a clear opportunity for accountants and advisors. Many SMEs already look to their accountant for guidance on risk, planning, compliance, cash flow and business decisions. Sustainability is becoming part of that same conversation.
Clients need help understanding what is required, what matters commercially, and how to take sensible next steps without becoming overwhelmed.
PSI’s journey shows why it is better to act before the pressure arrives. By investing time and resources into Carbon Literacy, carbon reduction planning, sustainability policies and team engagement, the business has moved from being reactive to being ready.
Gareth’s advice to other SMEs
Gareth’s advice to other SMEs is honest: it is a process.
There may be costs and time involved at the beginning, but the longer-term benefits can outweigh them. As he put it, when it comes to sustainability and supply chain expectations, it is “not if, it’s when.”
His advice is simple: set time aside, allocate resources and start.
For PSI, taking action has helped the business stay in the conversation, strengthen its tender responses, engage its team and build a clearer path forward.
For accountants and advisors, the message is just as clear: SME clients are going to need support with this. Firms that build confidence now will be better placed to help clients respond when sustainability becomes a commercial requirement.
Next steps
Want to help your clients respond confidently to sustainability questions, tenders and supply chain requirements?
Sustainability Suite helps accountants and advisors build the knowledge, tools and confidence to turn sustainability into practical client support.
Start with Carbon Literacy for Accountants & Advisors, or explore how Sustainability Suite can help your firm develop sustainability advisory services for SME clients.