The UN Sustainable Stock Exchanges (SSE) initiative, in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Ethical Supply Chain Program, has launched a new training program getting back to the basics of sustainability management. The new workshop — Getting Started with Sustainability: An Introduction for SMEs and Beginners — is designed to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and capital market participants with limited sustainability experience, begin integrating sustainability into their governance, strategy, operations, and disclosures.
“Through our work with thousands of companies across emerging markets, we've seen that the businesses that integrate sustainability early — even in small, proportionate steps — are more resilient, more attractive to investors, and better positioned for long-term growth. This new workshop with the UN SSE is exactly the kind of accessible, practical resource that can help SMEs move from awareness to action, and we are proud to support it." - Alexey Volynets, Corporate Governance Officer, IFC.
The new workshop is free of cost for exchanges and their market participants. It was successfully piloted on 26 March 2026 and is now CPD Certified (CPD UK) and available for SSE Partner Exchanges to host for the companies in their markets.
Reaching companies where they are
Stock exchanges occupy a unique position in the financial ecosystem. They are the primary point of contact for listed companies, and increasingly also for growth-stage companies seeking to access capital markets. This direct relationship gives exchanges unparalleled reach as a channel for sustainability education — enabling them to raise the baseline of knowledge and practice across entire market ecosystems, from large listed companies down to the smaller and mid-cap issuers that make up the majority of listings on many exchanges globally.
The SSE Academy's model is built on this insight. By developing expert-led training and making it available to exchanges to host under their own banner, the SSE enables exchanges to offer high-quality sustainability education to their market participants without the need to build that expertise in-house. Exchanges are not just a venue — they are a trusted convener, and when they communicate the importance of sustainability to their listed companies, those companies listen.
“Stock exchanges have a unique role to play in sustainability education. They are trusted by the companies in their markets, and when they communicate that sustainability matters, those companies listen. But the conversation has for too long been focused on large listed companies — leaving the SMEs that make up the majority of listings in some markets, and the vast majority of supply chains, without the guidance they need. This workshop changes that. It gives exchanges a ready-made tool to reach smaller companies where they are, with practical, proportionate guidance that meets them at the beginning of their journey, rather than assuming they are already well along it. Regulatory demands, investor expectations, and supply chain pressures are all moving in the same direction. The question for SMEs is not whether to engage with sustainability — it is how to get started. That is exactly what this program is designed to answer.” - Tiffany Grabski, Academy Head, UN SSE.
This new SME-focused program extends that reach even further, addressing a segment of the market that has until now had limited access to practical, accessible sustainability training tailored to their size and capacity.
A resource for listed companies and their supply chains
The workshop is not only relevant to listed companies themselves. As sustainability disclosure requirements expand globally, large listed companies face growing pressure to understand and report on sustainability-related information from across their value chains. Supply chain data is no longer optional; it is increasingly required.
This creates a direct incentive for larger listed companies to help their suppliers get up to speed. The Getting Started with Sustainability workshop offers a ready-made resource for listed companies to share with their supply chain partners, helping smaller suppliers understand why sustainability information is being requested, what frameworks and concepts are relevant, and how to begin putting the right practices and governance structures in place. Equipping suppliers with this foundational knowledge benefits the entire value chain — reducing friction, improving data quality, and building more resilient business relationships.
Stock exchanges are well-placed to facilitate this connection, both by offering the training to their listed companies directly and by encouraging those companies to extend the resource to the smaller businesses they work with.
A practical framework for getting started
The two-hour interactive workshop guides participants through the four facets of sustainability integration that underpin the SSE's Model Guidance for SMEs, developed in collaboration with IFC:
The workshop includes live polling, interactive exercises, and a guest presentation from the Ethical Supply Chain Program, illustrating what sustainability integration looks like in practice for SMEs. It is designed to be accessible to participants with no prior sustainability experience, while remaining relevant and actionable for those already beginning their journey.
Building on a proven foundation
The launch of this program adds to a growing portfolio of SSE Academy training offerings that now spans sustainability disclosure standards, gender equality in capital markets, nature-related disclosures, and board-level oversight of sustainability reporting. Together, these programs have reached nearly 55,000 market participants across more than 130 countries, with the majority of sessions delivered in emerging markets through the SSE's global network of Partner Exchanges.
This track record reflects something important: stock exchanges are not passive infrastructure. When equipped with the right tools and support, they are one of the most powerful mechanisms available for raising sustainability standards across the private sector at scale. The new SME training program is the latest example of this model in action.
For exchanges
The program is now available for SSE Partner Exchanges to host for their listed companies and market participants. The SSE Academy provides the expertise and facilitation at no cost to exchanges or their market participants; exchanges provide the convening power and local market knowledge. Training is provided free of charge to both exchanges and participants, made possible by the SSE Official Supporters.
Exchanges interested in hosting this training are encouraged to contact the SSE Academy team directly at [email protected]. To learn more about the full range of SSE Academy programs, visit sseinitiative.org/academy.
This training program "Getting Started on Sustainability - An Introduction for SMEs and Beginners" and the Model Guidance it is based on was developed with the support of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).