D3.2 Consolidated report #1 - greeneconet.eugreeneconet.eu/sites/default/files/publications/GreenEcoNet... · A degree of collaboration is needed between the GreenEcoNet platform

D3.2 Consolidated report #1

Work package: 3

Responsible partner: Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS)

Date: 2014/07/18

7th EU Framework Programme

Accelerating progress towards the Green Economy (ENV.2013.6.5-1)

Grant agreement for: Coordination and support actions

Grant agreement no.: 603939

D3.2 – GreenEcoNet Consolidate Report #1

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Table of Contents

Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 3

Chapter 1: Innovation Lab Event brief .......................................................................................................... 4

Chapter 2: Annual Work Plan ........................................................................................................................ 7

Chapter 3: First Annual Conference brief ................................................................................................... 24

Chapter 4: GreenEcoNet Platform Launch Event brief ............................................................................... 27

PROJECT PARTNERS

DISCLAIMER

Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for the use which might be

made of the following information. The views expressed in this publication are the sole responsibility of the author and do not

necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission.

Reproduction and translation for non-commercial purposes are authorized, provided the source is acknowledged and the

publisher is given prior notice and sent a copy.


3

Introduction

This document is the final output of the multidisciplinary structured public consultation and dialogue

which took place in the first year of the GreenEcoNet project. It contains the brief from the Innovation

Lab event organised in November 2013, the Annual Work Plan for the upcoming project year presented

during the first GreenEcoNet Annual Conference, and the brief of the GreenEcoNet Platform Launch

Event, these last two organised in Brussels on June 2014.

During the Innovation Lab Event, we discussed with all relevant stakeholders of the GreenEcoNet

platform the barriers and opportunities of the platform with the aim to generate input and

recommendations from SMEs, researchers and policy makers as to how the Green EcoNet online and

offline platform could be of most value to the different stakeholder groups.

Few months later, end of June 2014, the GreenEcoNet partners organised a one-day event to present

the Annual Work Plan for the upcoming second project year during the First Annual Conference. In the

afternoon session, the GreenEcoNet platform www.greeneconet.eu has been officially launched with

some of the users sharing their experience with green economy, but most importantly their experience

with the GreenEconet platform.

In the following chapters, the brief of each event is presented. In Chapter 1, the brief from the

Innovation Lab event is presented. It follows Chapter 2 with presentation of the Annual Work Plan. The

briefs of the first Annual Conference and the Platform Launch Event are presented in chapters 3 and 4.

http://www.greeneconet.eu/


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Chapter 1: Innovation Lab Event brief

Innovation Lab Brief

‘Identifying and utilising green business opportunities for SMEs’

Brussels, 29 November 2013

Topic one: Background and objectives of the GreenEcoNet project

Summary of discussion held

Following the introduction by the chair (Arno Behrens, Head of Energy and Research Fellow, Centre for

European Policy Studies), Mr Corrado Topi (Senior Research Fellow, University of York - SEI) presented

the background, aims and objectives of the GreenEcoNet project. Thereafter, Ms Silvia Donato

(Research Programme Officer, DG Research - European Commission) illustrated the EU Commission’s

expectations about the project as well as its relevance to EU-policy making. Finally, Ms Emily Benson

(Project Manager, Green Economy Coalition) provided a first visual presentation of the platform and

illustrated how it will support the needs of all relevant actors.

Key messages

SME multipliers and networks will be utilised during the 3-year course of the project to reach

the widest possible audience.

Depending on the national and local circumstances, in some cases the availability of information

only in English might be a significant limiting factor for the engagement of local SMEs. Thus in

the long-term, the project team will need to find ways to integrate more languages in the

platform.

Topic two: Assumptions for building the platform - A barriers and opportunities oriented approach


The chair (Wytze van der Gaast, Senior Expert, Joint Implementation Network) launched the discussions

on the second topic focusing on the barriers and opportunities arising for SMEs wishing to implement

the green economy. Mr Sotiris Papadelis (Senior Expert, University of Piraeus Research Center) listed the

key barriers and enabling factors that have been already incorporated in the initial design of the


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platform. Mr Henning Sittel (Project Manager, Efficiency Agency of the German State of North-Rhine

Westphalia) followed up this presentation by providing his view on the design of the platform. He was

skeptical about the development of another new European platform for SMEs. He stressed that the new

GreenEcoNet platform would need to become an efficient and user-friendly source of information in

terms of best practice examples, technology potentials, financial benefits and funding options, which

SMEs can tailor to their own contexts. The platform should also incorporate the experiences of national

and regional structures as well provide direct links for contacts. Mr Sittel furthermore underlined the

role of consumers as key driver for greening of business.

Key messages

SME networking is important to overcome barriers and benefit from green business

opportunities, and it should tap into national and/or regional collaboration agencies/multipliers.

The platform would need to be user-friendly and use the limited time of SMEs effectively.

Regional and/or national consultancies or multipliers should be the starting point for promoting

the platform and reaching local SMEs.

The platform will need to be ‘dynamic’ rather than ‘static’ and offer to the users ‘easy-to-

understand’ information and funding options. These options, as well as other solutions, need to

connect well with the local context of the SMEs and the platform should enable SMEs to find

context-relevant information.

The platform can address the ‘regulation’ barrier by channeling to policy makers the key issues

and concerns of SMEs as identified in the context of the project.

A degree of collaboration is needed between the GreenEcoNet platform and the various

available platforms that aim at greening SME business.

There might be cases where some local SMEs would not be interested in sharing their best-

practice examples since they might want to expand; however, on the other hand, through the

platform SMEs could identify local partners which could help them expand their services.

Topic three: Introduction of the GreenEcoNet platform


The introduction by the chair (Oliver Greenfield, Convenor, Green Economy Coalition) was followed by a

presentation by Mr Sotiris Papadelis of the main categories of the platform as well as of the basic

structure of case study data collection. Thereafter, Mr Martin Kloet (Project Leader, MKB Nederland)

mentioned that small companies are often interested in the green economy but they have difficulties in

understanding how to apply green business concepts due to lack of knowledge and/or time constraints.

He emphasized that an important audience group for GreenEcoNet will be actors which advise

entrepreneurs on how to green their businesses. He recommended that the focus of GreenEcoNet be

related to entrepreneurship, which implies that platform users should be able to ‘contextualize’

information supplied on the platform to their regional or national situation. Ms Luisa Nenci,

(Environmental Economist & Sustainability Advisor, Global Eco Forum) emphasised the need of

identifying ‘’champions’’ who will promote the platform at national and local level and also stressed that


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the case studies should offer practical information with academic knowledge, such as criteria,

parameters and indicators to build the bases for benchmarking green SMEs. She also suggested that

GreenEcoNet services both support SMEs in becoming green and staying green. Mr Franz Brudl (Advisor,

Austrian Economic Chambers) presented the main issues to be taken into account from the Austrian

Economic Chambers’ point of view and suggested the integration in the platform of an online forum (or

FAQ catalogue) that would help SMEs identify the information they are looking for. The platform could

also show what potential exists for greening business in different contexts (e.g. help a Swedish SME to

decide whether a good green SME practice from Australia is also applicable in Sweden).

Key messages

SMEs should be directly involved in the discussions regarding the platform as they will be the

principal users of the platform.

The platform should be promoted at national and local level through Chambers of Commerce,

EU delegations, SME multipliers and local organisations.

The internet is an important source of information but the platform should be also adapted to

the national and local needs through support by regional groups or associations.

The case studies should be practical and answer core questions for the SMEs such as how much

would a new practice or technology cost.

The platform should include, if possible, the option for SMEs to answer a number of questions

related to e.g. size of SME and location and then receive a list of suggestions for case studies.

An online interactive forum or FAQ catalogue would facilitate SMEs to easily acquire the

information they need.

Topic four: Added value of the platform


The chair (Corrado Topi) summarised the discussions held. He stressed that the project team faces the

challenge of developing a platform that will support the SMEs wishing to implement the green economy

in an effective way. While developing a platform that will address the SMEs needs at the EU and even

global level, the team should also take into account the importance of local conditions and local context.

Two key points that emerged from the discussions were the knowledge gap for some companies wishing

to become ‘green’ as well as the lack of information about financing; the platform will try to address

both of them. The team will also map similar initiatives at the EU and global level and develop

communication linkages. Participating stakeholders also offered their support to the next steps of the

platform development, e.g. through webinar discussions.


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Chapter2: Annual Work Plan

Annual Work Plan


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AUTHORS

Vasileios Rizos and Arno Behrens, Centre for European Policy Studies

With Contributions from:

Corrado Topi, University of York - Stockholm Environment Institute

Roberto Rinaldi, University of York - Stockholm Environment Institute

Sotiris, Papadelis, Univerity of Piraeus Research Centre

Anastasia Ioannou, Univerity of Piraeus Research Centre

Emily Benson, Green Economy Coalition

Oliver Greenfield, Green Economy Coalition

Martin Hirschnitz-Garbers, Ecologic Institute Terri Kafyeke, Ecologic Institute Wytze van der Gaast, Joint Implementation Network Erwin Hofman, Joint Implementation Network

PROJECT PARTNERS

DISCLAIMER

Neither the European Commission nor any person acting on behalf of the Commission is responsible for the use which might be

made of the following information. The views expressed in this publication are the sole responsibility of the author and do not

necessarily reflect the views of the European Commission.

Reproduction and translation for non-commercial purposes are authorized, provided the source is acknowledged and the

publisher is given prior notice and sent a copy.


9

1. Introduction

1.1 Aims of the project

The European Commission (EC), to further contribute to the Rio+20 agenda, undertakes a range of

activities to accelerate the transition towards a green economy. An important goal of these activities is

to assist business communities in greening their operations, processes and products. This requires a

clear understanding of green business opportunities and associated costs, as well as of how to plan,

design and operationalise greening of businesses. Familiarity with these aspects among business

communities is often limited, though, for two reasons: the wider business community is insufficiently

familiar with “best-in-class green practice” enterprises, which affects the learning potential from proven

practice. In addition, research often models the benefits and costs of green economic transitions, but

insufficiently addresses the everyday business practices.

To address the challenge of spreading green business practices among European small and medium-

sized enterprises (SMEs), a consortium of six European organisations has taken the initiative, within the

EU FP7 programme, to establish a Green Economy Network - GreenEcoNet - with a particular focus on

small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). GreenEcoNet has the two-fold broad objective of

promoting successful green economy practices to the wider business communities and improving the

green economy knowledge base for policy makers, business, NGOs and citizens. During the three-year

course of GreenEcoNet, the project team will design, deploy and use a suite of instruments and a series

of activities, i.e. a platform aiming to develop an exchange network of business best practices, stimulate

the debate on the green economy and disseminate the project’s outputs to the growing green economy

network. In the context of GreenEcoNet, business approaches to green economy are reviewed with a

special focus on SMEs.

1.2 What has been achieved to date

Within the first 12 months of the implementation of the GreenEcoNet project, the consortium efforts

focused on:

i. Developing a classification of actors, practices and initiatives towards the green economy and

categorising potential users of the platform;

ii. Organising the first Thematic Workshop;

iii. Establishing a Pool of Experts and engaging stakeholders more broadly;

iv. Designing and testing the GreenEcoNet platform; and

v. Investigating decision-support tools to be included into the web-platform.

A brief description of these achievements follows below.


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i. Developing a classification of actors, practices and initiatives towards the

green economy and categorising potential users of the platform

Prior to the development of the platform, it was necessary to gain a deeper understanding of the

evolving green economy landscape. We achieved this through the classification, i.e. taxonomy, of the

main actors forming the green economy landscape, and through the classification of initiatives available

at the different political levels in the European Union. This served mainly the categorization of the case

studies of the platform, according to the type and sector of the green solution described, the actors

involved, the contribution of the green solution, etc., allowing the effective search and population of the

platform. The developed categorisation schemes were subsequently sent to a number of experts in

various fields of the green economy in order to receive feedback on the robustness and adequacy on the

specific aspects of the taxonomy based on their expertise. In parallel, we categorised the potential

users. For each identified category (i.e. business, policy makers, academia & research, consumers, etc.) a

homogenous set of questions was developed, with the view to assess whether the taxonomy address

potential users’ queries in the GreenEcoNet platform. Thus, the adequacy of the taxonomy was

evaluated as regards its usefulness in guiding towards the answers to these questions.

Eventually, when the platform will have been populated with enough case studies, a map of SMEs,

available green solutions, markets in which they operate, services that support their operation (e.g.

finance, legal support, technical support) and insights on their enabling environment (e.g. existing

legislation, cultural aspects, relevant government policies) will be obtained.

ii. Organising the Thematic Workshop I

Part of the evaluation of the adequacy of the taxonomy took place during the first Thematic Workshop,

namely the ‘’Innovation Lab Event’’, organised by CEPS on 29 November 2013 in Brussels. During this

event, we investigated barriers that SMEs experience in managing the transition from a traditional

business model to a green business model. Participants also identified ‘’enabling factors’’ to overcome

these barriers.

In this context, the workshop presented and discussed how the GreenEcoNet platform could address

these barriers and what kind of tools it offers to SMEs wishing to incorporate green economy elements

in their business. Stakeholders were asked to provide their views on the main elements of the platform

and share their insights on its usefulness in general to highlight the potential added-value of the

platform as a potential key enabler for SMEs across Europe.


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iii. Establishing the Pool of Experts

In addition to the stakeholders participating in the first Thematic Workshop, we established a Pool of

Experts (PoE) to tackle the issues related to the transition to a green economy from a SME perspective.

Relevant European experts from industry and academia with a variety of backgrounds, skills and

competencies relevant to the project’s overall objective have agreed to become members of the PoE.

The principle idea for the PoE is to provide a solid and robust base of scientific and technical knowledge

of topics related to green economy and SMEs. Members will be encouraged to contribute to the

technical discussion on the web-platform, bilaterally and in GreenEcoNet project events. They will also

be consulted during the preparation of background documents for these events, as well as during the

formulation of policy dossiers or policy papers. Finally, the PoE will be asked to assist in increasing the

involvement of business, policy-makers, and academic stakeholders in the GreenEcoNet platform

through their multiplyer function and networks.

The PoE currently accounts for 15 members, belonging to both academia and the industry sectors. The

geographical origin of its members is not representative for all EU member states, but a regional balance

has been achieved by including at least one member from the North, South, West, and East of Europe.

Recruitment of additional PoE members will continue during the second year of GreenEcoNet.

iv. Designing and testing the GreenEcoNet web-platform

One of the main objectives of the project is to set up, roll out and run an online dynamic site with the

aim of making it the first European destination of choice for green SME entrepreneurs and other green

economy practitioners, policy-makers and researchers. The site aims to:

Connect and engage stakeholders on the subject of the green economy, on enablers of the

green economy and on how to address and overcome soft and hard barriers towards achieving

it in practice;

Enable the participation of the broader community, and in particular of citizens, community

groups and NGOs in the debate on the role and development of green economic enterprises and

businesses;

Maintain an updated collection of case studies showing "best practice" interventions towards

greening of SME business;

Maintain an updated collection of "green economy" enabling policies at different levels, with a

main focus on SMEs;

Maintain an updated “toolbox” with tools that SMEs can use when greening of their business

(i.e. developing a green vision, identifying options within that vision, identifying barriers and

enablers and formulating a green business plan).

Structure and stimulate the debate through online instruments, such as discussion forums, polls

and consultations;


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Disseminate the project results globally, in an accessible and friendly language, and within

different stakeholder groups, with a specific attention to SMEs;

The official launch of the web-platform will take place on 25 June 2014 in Brussels and will be

accompanied by targeted online outreach to press and media across all of the partner networks to

increase the coverage of the platform.

v. Investigating decision-support tools to be included into the web-platform

One of the sections of the platform will include on tools that are applicable for supporting green

business initiatives by SMEs. To achieve this, a toolbox has been composed and a range of tools has

been described on characteristics such as applicability, process of tool application and costs and

benefits, along with practical examples of the application of the tool. The use of a standardised template

enables an efficient presentation of the tools on the GreenEcoNet platform, and a comparison of tools.

An initial categorisation of tools among four categories, representing the stages in green business

development, has been made. These are: (1) diagnosis, identifying the state-of-play of the business; (2)

analysis, exploring options for greening business; (3) planning, identifying market barriers and enabling

actions for greening business; and (4) implementation, supporting maintenance, monitoring and

evaluation of green business practices. The categorisation will be implemented on the GreenEcoNet

platform, and tools might be categorised further to ease tool identification and selection. Some of the

tools may, in addition to SMEs, also be used by policy makers supporting green development for SMEs.

In addition, there are tools identified for use by the general public, to explore possible actions towards

greening consumption patterns.

During the implementation of the project, this list of tools will be further expanded. Once the

GreenEcoNet platform is online, linkages will be made between the tools and specific case studies

(‘solutions’) of SMEs that have applied these tools. In addition, SMEs will be encouraged to provide

information on tools they have applied themselves.

1.3 Purpose of the Annual Work Plan

GreenEcoNet is set to work on the basis of Annual Work Plans which are closely linked with the EU

policies, processes and initiatives. This first Annual Work plan provides detailed activity planning and

defines the priorities of GreenEcoNet for the second project year, to be undertaken in addition to the

planned project activities, as described above. It focuses on two ‘’hot topics’’ emerging from the EU

policy agenda. The first topic deals with governance and addresses issues related to how policies can

help ‘green’ SMEs by improving access to information, financing and technical assistance. The second

topic deals with waste-as-resources aspects of the circular economy and covers issues such as what

action and information SMEs might require to realise business opportunities related to the circular

economy. Both topics have been selected by the project consortium on the basis of thorough


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discussions1 with organisations representing European SMEs, as well as with representatives of EU

institutions.

The two following sections describe the two selected thematic topics as well as the key related concerns

for SMEs. Each of the two thematic sections is introduced by background information that briefly

describes the topic. Then, each thematic section presents a list of key issues that hinder the SMEs’

transition to the green economy. The issues have been identified through literature review. It should be

noted that the purpose of the literature review was to identify issues that could be addressed in the

context of the GreenEcoNet project rather than providing a comprehensive analysis of each topic.

Drawing on the issues identified during the literature review, the final part of this first Annual Work Plan

focuses on how these two topics will be dealt with throughout the various activities scheduled for the

second project year (June 2014-May 2015).

2. Thematic Topic one: Governance for SMEs - How can policies help

‘green’ entrepreneurs?

2.1 Background

The EU has adopted various types of environmental legislation aiming to improve SMEs’ environmental

performance in the fields of waste, water, energy etc2. This has resulted in a range of policies with policy

instruments at the EU level, aimed at improving the sustainability performance of SMEs as well as

supporting green entrepreneurship. To support SMEs in greening their business operations, the EU

offers a wide range of funding programs (Horizon 2020, Structural Funds etc.) that encourage actions in

the field of resource efficiency such as identifying and developing green business options (technologies,

techniques, web-based solutions, etc.), among others. The EU has also taken other actions such as the

provision of information about markets and funding opportunities3 as well as the development of the

Enterprise Europe Network for environment and energy efficiency experts to support SMEs. Beyond the

policy instruments at the EU level, SMEs also are targeted by policy instruments at national, regional and

local levels in the areas of fiscal support for green activities (e.g. tax deduction, feed-in tariff),

environmental standards, awareness campaigns, etc. National, regional and local policies often have a

closer connection with the contexts into which SMEs operate and correspondingly the challenges they

face.

When addressing the issue of governance, as a starting point it should be considered that some SMEs

may have a positive attitude towards green business, while others may not. This divergence of views

towards green business has been attributed to a number of reasons in the available literature. For

1 Discussions were held in March and April 2014.

2 Calogirou et al. (2010).

3 See the European Small Business Portal.


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example, many SMEs are often uncertain about whether the financial incentive is sufficient to pursue a

green initiative, while others foresee a financial risk that could possibly have an impact on their

competitiveness4. In other cases SMEs are not very familiar with sustainability issues5 or have been

shown to perceive sustainable development as irrelevant to their business6. Some SME owner-managers

may also feel that their impact on the environment is minor and do not see any reason to engage in

environmental improvement7. The extent to which SMEs are generally willing to adopt green measures

as well as their attitudes towards ‘’green’’ policies also depends on the sector8 in which they operate9.

2.2 Key issues for SMEs

2.2.1 Financial barrier

In the research literature it is widely recognised that the cost of new technologies and business models

presents one of the most important barriers hindering the adoption of ‘green solutions’ by SMEs. SMEs

often lack the financial resources to adopt a new ‘green option’ or they are simply reluctant to use a

new technology/process due to the perceived high costs10. The high upfront costs of some types of

investments might present a further limiting factor for SMEs wishing to improve their resource

efficiency11. Added to this, SMEs face difficulties in identifying suitable sources of financing and/or

assessing their potential due to the lack of staff with knowledge12 on this topic13.

2.2.2 Technical skills

Two studies14 have suggested that SMEs across the EU often lack the technical capacity that would

enable them to explore more advanced and less costly technical options, while for some small

businesses the cost of recruitment of technical experts is too high. In practice, instead of searching for

new technical ideas, SMEs often receive suggestions for new technical solutions directly from their

suppliers; however, even in these cases they need a certain level of technical skills to assess the new

options. The lack of specific skills required for the transition to the green economy has been also

4 Revell & Blackburn (2004).

5 Yacob & Moorthy (2012).

6 Hansen & Klewitz (2012).

7 Bradford and Fraser, 2007.

8 Notably, this issue also arose during discussions with organisations representing SMEs.

9 Bradford & Fraser (2007).

10 Hoevenagel et al. (2007).

11 AMEC & Bio Intelligence Service (2013); Rademaekers et al. (2011).

12 This barrier was also raised during personal communication with Mr Henning Sittel, International Relations

Manager at Effizienz-Agentur NRW, Germany (http://www.ressourceneffizienz.de/en/startpage.html). 13

Hoevenagel et al. (2007); Rademaekers et al. (2011). 14

Calogirou et al. (2010) and Hoevenagel et al. (2007).

http://www.ressourceneffizienz.de/en/startpage.html


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identified as a cause of concern by the association representing the interests of European crafts, trades

and SMEs at EU level15.

2.2.3 Administrative burden

The administrative and cost burdens stemming from environmental legislation present another key

issue for the European SMEs16. According to a study produced for the European Commission17, although

SMEs are generally aware about the environmental national legislation, they lack the specific knowledge

and capacity to comply with the necessary requirements. As a result, they often rely on external

consultants to meet their obligations; this in turn entails an extra cost which might be significant for very

small enterprises. Additionally, the monitoring and reporting of environmental data is often a complex

process as in many cases SMEs are required to submit the same data to various authorities and in

different formats.

3. The circular economy: waste as business

3.1 Background

The circular economy has been defined18 as ‘‘an alternative to a traditional linear economy (make, use,

dispose) in which we keep resources in use for as long as possible, extract the maximum value from

them whilst in use, then recover and regenerate products and materials at the end of each service life’’.

The origins of this concept can be traced back to 1966 when Kenneth Boulding 19envisaged the future

‘’spaceman economy’’ which would operate by reproducing the initial limited stock of inputs and

recycling waste outputs. Since then there has been an increasing recognition among academics, policy

makers and the business community of the need to move towards a new economic model where

materials and energy from discarded products are re-introduced in the economic system20. At the EU

level, the Commission has placed circular economy and resource efficiency at the heart of its Europe

2020 growth strategy for developing a smart, inclusive and sustainable economy.

According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation21, the circular economy aims to minimise waste, increase

the utilisation of renewable sources of energy and re-use products across different parts of the value

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UEAPME (2013). 16 This barrier was also raised during personal communication with Mr Henning Sittel, International Relations Manager at Effizienz-Agentur NRW, Germany (http://www.ressourceneffizienz.de/en/startpage.html). 17

Calogirou et al. (2010). 18

WRAP (2013). 19

Kenneth Boulding (1966). 20

Lehmann et al. (2014); Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2012). 21

Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2012).

http://www.ressourceneffizienz.de/en/startpage.html


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chain. It also involves other aspects such as the increased use of biological nutrients for the production

of products, and when this is not feasible, the careful design of technical parts to facilitate their re-use22.

From the above it can be concluded that the circular economy is a rather broad topic that provides an

alternative perspective about the way the economic system works. Rather than trying to address all

aspects of this concept, this first Annual Work Plan will address the topic from a waste-as-resources

perspective. Other aspects of the circular economy of relevance for SMEs may be covered in the second

Annual Work Plan.

3.2 Key issues for SMEs

3.2.1 Lack of information and knowledge about the benefits of circular economy

The lack of knowledge about the benefits of the circular economy has been identified as one of the

barriers that stand in the way of progress towards the circular economy. Two studies screened for this

document23 have indicated that in many cases SMEs not only neglect the possible financial gains from

improving their waste management practice, but also consider waste management practices as costly

for their business. The latter has been attributed to the wide diffusion of traditional concepts such as

the ‘’polluter pays principle’’ that have contributed to businesses often viewing waste as a burden24.

In this context, a survey conducted by the FUSION project25 which is co-funded by the European

Commission, provides useful insights as to the SMEs’ understanding of the circular economy. The survey

involved about 300 companies26 that are based in three different countries, namely France, Belgium and

England, and which have already demonstrated an interest in sustainability issues. Interestingly, the

majority of the participants either had never heard of the term ‘’circular economy’’ or could not

understand its meaning. On the positive side, when participants were given a clear definition27 of the

circular economy, involving aspects such as the reuse and recovery of waste materials, the majority

responded that they were making efforts to recycle and repair. Additionally, companies identified waste

management as one of the sectors that could unlock new business opportunities.

22

World Economic Forum et al. (2014). 23

Rademaekers et al. (2011); AMEC & Bio Intelligence Service (2013). 24

Ellen MacArthur Foundation & WRAP (2013). 25

FUSION (2014). 26

The majority of businesses participating in the survey were small and medium sized enterprises operating maily in the manufacturing, construction and renewable energy sectors. 27

The specific question was: “If the circular economy is defined as a model whereby products are repaired, reused or upgraded instead of being thrown away and recovered waste materials are reprocessed for remanufacture, on a scale of 1-5, how closely aligned do you think your business is to the circular economy?”


17

3.2.2 Financial barriers

Financial barriers are particularly relevant for SMEs, which are generally more sensitive to any extra

costs resulting from green business activities, compared to large enterprises28. A study29 has shown that

in some cases SMEs lack the financial resources to establish and manage a recycling scheme, while a

survey30 conducted in the UK has indicated that collection and recycling of waste are less economically

favorable options for SMEs producing low volumes of waste. In addition to the direct extra financial

costs from any green business activities, small business need to also face the ‘’hidden costs’’ such as

costs of management and staff training. A further issue that needs to be considered is the uncertainty of

the costs associated with improving resource efficiency31.

3.2.3 Inconsistencies in the EU waste legislation

In recent years, the EU has made considerable efforts to improve the management of the various waste

streams. However, despite the significant progress that has been made on an array of waste

management goals, there appears to be considerable room for improvement in the design and

implementation of EU waste legislation. In particular, a study produced for the EU Commission32 has

indicated that there is a lack of clarity on several concepts of EU legislation such as producer

responsibility, quality of separate collection and definition of recycling, reuse and recovery. The concept

of waste hierarchy33 could be also supplemented with additional explicitness as member states are given

the flexibility to divert from the hierarchy. UEAPME34 has claimed that due to the lack of an harmonised

approach in interpreting and implementing the various provisions of EU legislation, SMEs based in

different member states often face different market conditions and internal market barriers.

The extended producer responsibility35 (EPR) principle presents an area of the EU waste legislation in

which research has indicated a lack of coherence across the EU. In particular, the EPR national schemes

that have been developed in response to the EU legislation vary significantly in terms of structure,

definition of producer, associated costs, competent parties, etc. As a result, businesses in different

Member States often operate in different market environments and this in turn creates uncertainty and

28

Oakdene Hollins (2011). 29

Eunomia Research & Consulting (2011). 30

WRAP (2007). 31

AMEC & Bio Intelligence Service (2013). 32

Mudgal et al. (2011). 33

This refers to the 5-steps hierarchy included in the Waste Framewok Directive, where waste prevention is given the highest priority, followed by reuse, recycling, other recovery and finally disposal. 34

UEAPME (2014). 35

OECD defines extended producer responsibility as ‘’an environmental policy approach in which a producer’s responsibility for a product is extended to the post-consumer stage of a product’s life cycle’’.


18

additional administrative burdens 36 . Additionally, according to UEAPME 37 (2014) the financial,

organisational and administrative requirements of EPR often put a considerable onus on SMEs which

need support from the local authorities38.

4. How will these topics be addressed in the context of GreenEcoNet

4.1 First Annual Conference

The GreenEcoNet Annual Conferences take place at the end of each project year and aim to stimulate

the debate between the private sector, the research community and policy makers on ‘’hot topics’’ for

SMEs emerging from the EU policy agenda. As described above, governance for SMEs and the circular

economy will be the thematic topicsof the first GreenEcoNet Annual Conference, to take place in the

morning of 25 June 2014 at CEPS in Brussels. This first topic will be taken forward in a dedicated session,

dealing with questions related to how policies can help ‘green’ entrepreneurs by improving access to

information, financing and technical assistance. Further questions to be discussed include how

governance could be supported by public-private collaboration and what are the main challenges and

opportunities for both policy makers and SMEs. Following the introduction by an expert from the project

team, the topic will feature a panel comprised of representatives from associations representing the

interests of European SMEs and national government agencies. The second topic will deal with the

circular economy, focusing on waste aspects and reuse/recycling, or otherwise utilization of waste. The

discussions during the second dedicated session will cover issues such as what action and information

SMEs might require to realise business opportunities related to the circular economy, as well as how

SMEs can improve their cooperation and knowledge sharing to fully exploit the potential of the circular

economy. The thematic topic will include a panel consisting of representatives of EU institutions,

academics and the business community.

4.2 Thematic workshops

This first Annual Work Plan covers two thematic workshops over the next year which will be organised

by the Ecologic Institute, foreseen for late 2014 to take place in Cologne (as a regional German dialogue)

and in Berlin (as a European dialogue, building on the German insights from the regional German

dialogue). The aim of the workshops is to elaborate further on the topics that have been selected in the

Annual Work Plan as well as identify further important topics from the perspective of the workshop

participants to feed into the next Annual Work Plan. To this end, the two workshops will elaborate

36

Mudgal et al. (2011); Watkins et al. (2012). 37

UEAPME is the employer’s organisation representing the interests of European crafts, trades and SMEs at EU level. 38

UEAPME (2014).


19

further on the discussions on issues and questions that arose during the first Annual Conference.

Potential speakers (aiming at up to 4 for each workshop) will include representatives from agencies

advising SMEs39, business associations, National Ministries and academics. The workshops will also

possibly feature 1-2 SMEs that will present their best practice case studies relevant to the topics.

Potential audience/invitees will include about 20-30 representatives from all key stakeholders (from

business, academia and research) as well as German SMEs. They key points of the discussions held

during each workshop will be included in a short summary document to be made available on the

GreenEcoNet platform (also for communication purposes - see 4.4 below).

4.3 Policy briefs

Two policy briefs will be produced during the second project year, one for each of the two thematic

workshops. The policy briefs will aim to improve the knowledge support to policy making and business

and will highlight evidence-based and policy-oriented best practice green economy examples. Again, the

topics of the policy briefs should be consistent with the topics of green governance and the circular

economy. The organiser of the two thematic workshops will be responsible to collect input from all

project partners that will be used for the policy briefs. The first two policy briefs will be included in the

‘’Policy Dossier’’ that will be published in the end of the second project year. The policy briefs will be

featured on the GreenEcoNet platform to feed the discussions on the green economy as well as

disseminate the project’s objectives.

4.4 Other actions during the second year of the project

i) Provision of key data to SMEs

As identified above, there is a lack of understanding among SMEs of the business opportunities arising

from the green economy while in some cases SMEs are reluctant to integrate ‘‘green options’’ in their

business models due to the high perceived costs. In view of these barriers, the GreenEcoNet platform

will collect relevant data from the businesses that upload case studies in order to inform SMEs about the

benefits of the green economy. In particular, the received data on benefits (for example reduction in

energy consumption or reduction in associated costs) that the SMEs gained by implementing green

solutions, as well as the data on the financing options, will be aggregated40, to the extent that this will

be technically feasible, and be made available to the users of the platform. As such, the case study

collection of the GreenEcoNet platform will include insights on the specific green solutions

adopted/supplied as described in the context of the case study. Relevant information regarding the

39

The workshop planned to take place in Cologne will focus on German speaking SMEs and multipliers from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The workshop planned for Berlin will focus on European stakeholders and stakeholders from other member states will be also invited to participate in the events. 40

Aggregation can be done for example per SME sector or business activity.


20

financing means of the green solution, the associated turn-key and operational & maintenance costs

along with the yielded reduction in the consumed resources (e.g. energy, water, materials or waste

produced) will be collected to the detail feasible. Other information included in the case studies involves

the technical prerequisites of the green solution and compatibility with the incumbent infrastructure,

along with the in-house expertise required for the implementation of the solution. Data on the

regulatory prerequisites and constraints (such as licenses, permits and other obligations) during the

implementation of the green solution will be also presented in the context of the case study description.

ii) Improving awareness and knowledge about the green economy

The GreenEcoNet platform will be utilised as a communication tool to illustrate best practice green

economy initiatives/examples that take place around the globe. Specifically, through the contribution of

all project partners, the platform will feature short articles, blog posts, videos, tweets etc on green

economy topics for small businesses and our target audience Using our Thematic workshops, policy

briefs and online content as the means of engaement, the platform will support online dialogue and

interaction between multiple stakeholder groups in order to enhance their understanding and

commitment to the green economy transition. A media strategy aiming to engage print and online press

will also aim to increase the coverage of the GreenEcoNet platform and its goals.

At large, the communicaiton and engagement strategy moving forward is to increase users’ familiarity

with the topic of the green economy and demonstrate that rather than being a theoretical concept the

green economy transition is already underway across the globe. Moreover, in view of SMEs’ limited

understanding of the circular economy (see section 3.2.1), the project team will make additional efforts

to collect relevant sources of information that describe with ‘’business language’’ the benefits of the

circular economy in order to post them on the GreenEcoNet platform.

iii) Provision of key information to SMEs

In view of the key issues identified in both thematic topics, the project team can use the information

collected from SMEs and add it to the GreenEcoNet platform in two ways:

1. To provide an overview to SMEs of what are the possible barriers to greening their business

operation and what possible solutions exist to overcome these. The platform will thus enable an

SME to check how their domestic and international SME colleagues have handled a problem,

with what tools and what has been the outcome.

2. To provide a broader analytical perspective to the GreenEcoNet project, by comparing across

SME case studies within a country and/or sector context , identifying what the relevant market

system looks like for green SMEs, where barriers exist in the system and what can be done to

make the market system more efficient. Such insights can be useful for policy makers to identify


21

what policy actions they can undertake to make markets for green SMEs more attractive. To

support this analysis, collaboration with universities can be sought. JIN has established such

contacts, through the Pool of Experts, with the University of Groningen (Faculty of Economics).

Additionally, one of the key issues that arose during the literature review for both topics as well as

during discussions with key stakeholders (policy-makers, organisations representing SMEs) is the

importance of finance for ‘greening’ SMEs. When it comes to access to funding sources, small business

are often in a disadvantaged position vis-à-vis large enterprises and face difficulties not only in

identifying suitable sources but also in assessing their potential.

To address this issue and further mobilise the interest of SMEs in the GreenEcoNet platform, the project

team will make efforts to collect information about funding sources for SMEs at the national level. This

information can possibly be categorised by type of scheme, sector, etc., and then be made available to

the users of the platform. This part of the platform may be inspired by the Climate Finance Options

(CFO) website41, developed by the World Bank and UNDP. The CFO website provides detailed

information on possible funding sources for climate change mitigation and adaptation, with information

on qualifying projects, eligibility, application procedures, etc. A similar set-up will be developed for

GreenEcoNet with regard to funding sources for greening options for SMEs. It could be also linked to

best-practice case studies in different countries. Additionally, as described above, the platform could

also use the data on financing provided by the SMEs that have uploaded case studies to provide

additional information to the users.

5. Next steps

This first Annual Work Plan has illustarted the main activities and priorities during the second project

year in line with the two selected ‘’hot topics’’ emerging from the EU policy agenda. The Plan will be

implemented during the course of the following 12 project months.

References

AMEC and Bio Intelligence Service, (2013), ‘’The opportunities to business of improving resource efficiency’’, Study prepared for the European Commission, DG Environment. Boulding, K., (1966), ‘’The Economics of the Coming Spaceship Earth’’.

41 www.climatefinanceoptions.org

http://www.climatefinanceoptions.org/


22

Bradford, J. and E. D. G. Fraser, (2007), ‘’Local Authorities, Climate Change and Small and Medium Enterprises: Identifying Effective Policy Instruments to Reduce Energy Use and Carbon Emissions’’, Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 15, pp. 156-172. Calogirou, C., Sørensen, S. Y., Larsen, P. B., S. Alexopoulou et al., (2010), ‘’SMEs and the environment in the European Union’’, PLANET SA and Danish Technological Institute, Published by European Commission, DG Enterprise and Industry. Ellen MacArthur Foundation, (2012), ‘’Towards the Circular Economy. Economic and business rationale for an accelerated transition’’. Ellen MacArthur Foundation and WRAP, (2013), ‘’Wales and the Circular Economy. Favourable System Conditions and Economic Opportunities’’. Eunomia Research & Consulting, (2011), ‘’Increasing SME Recycling. An examination of the barriers that exist to increasing levels of SME recycling and recommended solutions to these barriers’’. Summary Report. FUSION, (2014), ‘’What do Europe’s Small and Medium Sized Businesses Think About the Circular Economy?’’, Fusion Observatory Report: February 2014. Hansen, E. G. and J. Klewitz, (2012), ‘’The role of an SME’s green strategy in public-private eco-innovation initiatives: the case of Ecoprofit’’, Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, 25(4), pp. 451-477, 2012. Hoevenagel, R., Brummelkamp, G., Peytcheva, A. and R. van der Horst, (2007), ‘’Promoting Environmental Technologies in SMEs: Barriers and Measures’’, European Commission, Institute for Prospective Technological Studies. Lehmann, M., Leeuw, B, Fehr, E. and A. Wong, (2014), ‘’Circular Economy. Improving the Management of Natural Resources’’, Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences. Mudgal, S., Monier, V., Van Long, L., Andre, N. and G. Anderson, (2011), ‘’Study on Coherence of Waste Legislation’’, Study prepared for the European Commission, DG Environment. Oakdene Hollins, (2011), ‘’The Future Benefits of Business Resource Efficiency’’, Research report completed for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Rademaekers, K., Asaad, S. S. Z. and J. Berg, (2011), ‘’Study on the Competitiveness of the European Companies and Resource Efficiency’’, ECORYS, Teknologisk Institut, Cambridge Econometrics, CES info and Idea Consult. Study prepared for the European Commission, DG Enterprise and Industry.

Revell, A. and R. Blackburn, (2004), ‘’SMEs and their Response to Environmental Issues in the UK’’,

Kingston Business School, Occasional Paper Series 57.

UEAPME, (2014), ‘’ UEAPME Position on the Revision of the EU Waste Policy and Legislation’’.


23

UEAPME, (2013), ‘’ UEAPME’s position on the Green Action Plan for SMEs complementing the replies to

the Commission’s consultation’’.

Watkins et al., (2012), ‘’Use of Economic Instruments and Waste Management Performances’’, Study

prepared for the European Commission, DG Environment. Study prepared for the European

Commission, DG Environment. Study prepared for the European Commission, DG Environment.

WRAP, (2007), ‘’SME Recycling feasibility trials evaluation report’’, (http://tinyurl.com/n9a8gww),

accessed 21 May 2014.

World Economic Forum, Ellen MacArthur Foundation and McKinsey & Company, (2014), ‘’Towards the Circular Economy: Accelerating the scale-up across global supply chains’’. Yacob, P. and K. Moorthy, (2012), ‘’Green Practices: Perception of Malaysian SME Owners/Managers’’, International Journal of Academic Research in Economics and Management Sciences, 1(3), 2012.

Electronic sources:

WRAP, (2013), WRAP and the circular economy, (http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/wrap-and-circular-

economy), accessed 18 May 2014.

http://tinyurl.com/n9a8gww

http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/wrap-and-circular-economy

http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/wrap-and-circular-economy


24

Chapter 3: First Annual Conference brief

GreenEcoNet Annual Conference Brief

‘’Connecting SMEs for a green economy’’

Brussels, CEPS, 25 June 2014

Background of the GreenEcoNet project and priorities during the second project year


The GreenEcoNet project coordinator, Mr Corrado Topi (Senior Research Fellow, University of York –

Stockholm Environment Institute), presented the project’s background and achievements during the

first 12 months. The main achievements have been: mapping of SME stakeholders in partner country, a

classification of potential users of the platform as well as of actors, practices and initiatives towards the

green economy, collection of best-in-class case studies and other information to populate the website,

and development of the website to be launched today. He furthermore highlighted that during the

second project year the GreenEcoNet team will aim to extend the stakeholder engagement, consolidate

the web platform using stakeholders’ feedback as well as collect data and information on costs, benefits

and financing of green solutions in order to make them available to the users of the platform.

Thematic topic 1: Governance for SMEs: How can policies help ‘green’ entrepreneurs


The chair (Wytze van der Gaast, Senior Expert, Joint Implementation Network) introduced the topic of

governance for SMEs and pointed out that identifying the right policies for SMEs is a complicated task as

solutions need to be cheap, often small-scale and tailored to the specific needs of SMEs. Thereafter, Ms

Rosa Solanes (Advisor for Sustainable Development, UEAPME - The European Association of Craft, Small

and Medium-sized Enterprises) stressed that the 7th Environment Action Programme with its few SME

references and the Small Business Act with its Principle IX “Enable SMEs to turn environmental

challenges into business opportunities” support SMEs in greening their operations. She emphasised that

decision makers would need to better collaborate with the intermediaries and SME associations. In this

respect, Ms Solanes highlighted the example of the Network of SME Envoys which regularly brings


25

together representatives of European business, European policy makers and national SME Envoys. Ms

Solanes furthermore pointed out the importance of training policy as, in practice, there is often a

mismatch between available and required skills for greening SME operation. She went on to say that it is

important to foster Vocational Education and Training (VET) governance with a strong involvement of

social partners and notably employers. VET can be important for the adoption of the green concepts by

small businesses. Regarding the availability of and search for funding European/national banks should

better collaborate with small/cooperative banks that are more familiar with SMEs. Mr Koen Miseur

(Account Manager, Enterprise Flanders - Agentschap Ondernemen) followed up this presentation by

providing an overview of the policy instruments in Flanders in support of greening SMEs. Although there

is no specific policy on green economy in Flanders, the government has put forward various measures in

the field of the green economy as part of a more comprehensive policy framework for the society as a

whole, named ‘’Flanders in action’’. Mr Miseur showed the most relevant policy support instruments,

such as subsidy schemes, for companies to become ‘green’ or more resource efficient. These

instruments are part of a public database, which is available on the website of Enterprise Flanders and

can be openly consulted by companies, including SMEs. Enterprise Flanders also offers tools to

enterprises for scanning the costs and benefits of green investment options.

Key messages

The transition to a green economy requires the appropriate governance structure to address

market barriers and provide solutions for green investments, with the engagement of all

relevant actors, including SME intermediaries.

SMEs often feel reluctant to green their business operations as this requires taking a number of

hurdles (administrative, financial and technical) which are difficult to take given the usually

small scale of SMEs.

Next to governance, greening SME operations also strongly relies on the extent to which

consumers demand ‘green’ products. As consumers generally put most emphasis on product

prices, consumer demand is currently an insufficient pull factor for SMEs to make a ‘green’

transition. This implies that there is a need for effective policies to inform society about the

benefits of the green economy.

SMEs often need the right fiscal incentives in order to apply a ‘’green solution’’; for example in

some cases they prefer to have tax deductions (e.g. VAT) in order to change their equipment.

The GreenEcoNet platform can provide to the users a range of different sources of information

that can address different barriers (e.g. financial) as well as illustrate areas where governance

support is needed.

While it was acknowledged that SMEs often focus on their regions, GreenEcoNet can be

complementary to off line, more regionally oriented networks. The complementarity benefit

could be to show similar cases in different countries from which SMEs could learn. However, this

requires that the information is available in a familiar language.


26

Thematic topic 2: The Circular economy and opportunities for SMEs: Waste as business


The chair (Martin Hirschnitz-Garbers, Fellow - Coordinator of Resource Efficiency, Ecologic Institute)

briefly outlined the history and scope of the circular economy concept and highlighted links to waste-as-

resources in this context. In short, the circular economy refers to a regeneration system which retains

the resources within the economy in contrast to the currently prevailing ‘linear’ model of extraction,

manufacturing, consumption and disposal. Mr Peter Czaga (Policy Officer, European Commission - DG

Environment) provided updates about major EU policies to be launched in July 2014 in the field of the

circular economy: the Communication on the Circular Economy and the Green Action Plan for SMEs. He

emphasised that the circular economy can deliver significant cost savings and business opportunities for

SMEs, when they are supported by enabling framework conditions, as hoped to be put in place through

these two policies. Following this, Mr Giulio Pattanaro (Research Programme Officer, European

Commission - DG Research) presented main EU funding mechanisms in support of actions in the fields of

the green and circular economy under the Horizon2020 Framework Programme for Research and

Innovation. He highlighted the SME instrument as one key funding opportunities for helping SMEs

becoming green(er). Ms Erica Russel (Head of Sustainability and Insight, BSK-Group CiC) illustrated the

results of a survey on SMEs and the circular economy conducted in the context of the FUSION project.

The survey findings show that SMEs are generally not very familiar with the term ‘’circular economy’’.

Furthermore, lack of time, staff, skills and funding are major barriers that prevent SMEs from maximizing

the benefits of a green business model. Finally, Mr Tom Dugmore (Technical Liaison Officer, Green

Chemistry Centre of Excellence - University of York) reported on potential business savings accruing to

businesses from using production process wastes, such as orange peels, for novel products and thereby

turning wastes into business opportunities.

Key messages

SMEs are perhaps more familiar with the term ‘’green economy’’ than with ‘’circular economy’’.

Resource efficiency is probably the most recognisable term.

There are many different waste streams potentially available for businesses as resources; thus

there is a need to have a case by case approach and to be able to implement the best available

technology while setting and maintaining the right framework conditions to foster SMEs’

capacity to innovate.

Policy instruments should aim to address both the supply and demand side of the market.

When approaching SMEs, it is important to use the right ‘’language’’ as many businesses find

the circular economy terminology complicated.

According to the survey conducted in the context of the FUSION project, the lack of time, of

skills and of access to information and funding are among the major barriers that prevent SMEs

from implementing green business models, while economic benefits and supportive policy

frameworks are among the most significant enablers.


27

Chapter 4: GreenEcoNet Platform Launch Event brief

GreenEcoNet Platform Launch Event Brief

‘’Connecting SMEs for a green economy’’

Brussels, CEPS, 25 June 2014

Launch of the GreenEcoNet Platform


Following the introduction by the chair (Arno Behrens, Head of Energy and Research Fellow, Centre for

European Policy Studies - CEPS), Ms Emily Benson (Project Manager, Green Economy Coalition - GEC)

provided a first visual presentation of the GreenEcoNet platform and its various suite of instruments

aiming to stimulate the green economy for SMEs. She stressed that the aim of the team was to prepare

a platform that speaks the business language and can help SMEs become more competitive and

innovative. Ms Benson also officially launched the platform by making it available to the public online.

The presentation and launch of the platform was followed by comments by two experts in the field. Ms

Julie Lenain (Project Coordinator, Impulse - GreenTech Business Unit), mentioned that the platform can

provide answers to the new vision of economy and the development of new business models as well as

boost the exchange of best practices. Additionally, it can provide a library of information that could

centralise tools, methods and existing products and services. Ms Evelin Urbel-Piirsalu (Senior Expert, SEI-

Tallinn), pointed out that based on her experience, various SMEs in the Eastern Europe would be

interested in the tools offered by the platform, especially if the case studies are available in their native

languages.

Key messages

The GreenEcoNet platform could address the issue of benchmarking by providing case studies

for sectoral benchmarking as well as indicators to monitor performance.

The platform should possibly try to make a connection with the global eco label platform.

Early adopters are very often economic facilitators to entrepreneurship and medium and big

companies.

Rather than creating new tools, the platform should aim to provide a pooling of existing tools

and initiatives.


28

The GreenEcoNet project team should assess ways to provide the right information to the users

and keep them interested in the platform (e.g. newsletter).

The team will consider the possibility of developing a GreenEcoNet app that could increase

interest in the platform.

As more content will be available in the future, the team will face the challenge of ensuring that

all information can be easily accessed by the users.

SME best practice examples


During this session three SMEs from different EU countries presented their innovative ‘’green solutions’’

and their experiences from implementing the green economy. Mr Theo Giamakidis (Energy Manager,

Green Air Energy) from Greece presented the compressed air systems offered by his small company that

improve energy efficiency. Ms Lauren Milton (Salon Coordinator, Elan Hair Design) provided an overview

of the various actions taken in the fields of waste, water and energy that enabled her hairdressing small

company based in Scotland (Aberdeen) to reduce costs while increasing revenues. Mr Antoine Geerinckx

(Founder, CO2logic) from Belgium illustrated how his small company helps other companies, including

SMEs to calculate, reduce and offset their CO2 emissions.

Key messages

The main barrier for managing the transition to the green economy is the fact that SMEs

generally see only the initial costs from implementing a ‘’green option’’; thus they need the right

information about the benefits of ‘’green solutions’’.

SMEs need easy-to-understand information about how to make the first step towards the green

economy. After they start understanding the benefits, the transition process is simpler.

Improving awareness among SMEs of the green economy issues and solutions could be one of

the most important tasks for policy makers. Policy makers need to better understand the

problems in order to then share them with the relevant industry sector.

Although policy measures at EU and national level can be useful for SMEs, their actual

implementation can take a very long time. Local councils can perhaps be more efficient in

collecting local business information, understanding the problems and offering solutions

adapted to local needs.

Documents

D3.2 Consolidated report #1 - greeneconet.eugreeneconet.eu/sites/default/files/publications/GreenEcoNet... · A degree of collaboration is needed between the GreenEcoNet platform