It is essential to provide SMEs with access to financing, training, and support to help them prioritise energy efficiency and achieve their business goals

Seyi John Salau writes on the Business Day website from Nigeria, discussing the importance of helping SMEs improve their energy efficiency. This is a message for Nigeria, Africa and throughout the globe. SMEs’ path to sustainability: bridging the energy efficiency gap The world is transitioning to a low-carbon economy, and businesses are at the … Continue reading It is essential to provide SMEs with access to financing, training, and support to help them prioritise energy efficiency and achieve their business goals →

Majority of UK businesses unaware of support available to improve energy performance

This is quite a worrying concern. A survey of 503 UK businesses shows that 62% are unaware of government energy efficiency supports, with 47% deterred by cost concerns from investing in green upgrades. Dimitris Mavrokefalidis discusses the survey in an article on the Energy Live News website. Have you found the same level of awareness … Continue reading Majority of UK businesses unaware of support available to improve energy performance →

The new EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive: “We do not want to be crushed and knocked out” by burdensome regulations, say French SMEs

The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive would extend the scope of companies’ environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting obligations to inform investors, banks and insurance companies better. The new rules would also apply to SMEs. In an article on the EURACTIV website, Théo Bourgery-Gons discusses how French SMEs argue that new regulations are so onerous that … Continue reading The new EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive: “We do not want to be crushed and knocked out” by burdensome regulations, say French SMEs →

Access to financing and lack of regulatory certainty, including at the EU level, remain key concerns for French SMEs on their green transition path

Théo Bourgery-Gonse writes on the EURACTIV website about what small and medium-sized enterprises need in France to decarbonise. Is it any different in your country? French SMEs asked to decarbonise, want regulatory certainty Access to financing and lack of regulatory certainty, including at the EU level, remain key concerns for French SMEs on their … Continue reading Access to financing and lack of regulatory certainty, including at the EU level, remain key concerns for French SMEs on their green transition path →

Lessons learned from an energy project on SMEs

Having attended a conference this week in Brussels on the EU-funded LEAP4SME project, it was timely to see a blog by the Energy Saving Trust, one of the partners in the project. LEAP4SME aims to support establish or improve effective policies for SMEs to undergo energy audits and implement cost-effective, recommended energy-saving measures through identifying … Continue reading Lessons learned from an energy project on SMEs →

The European Commission has outlined possible “transition pathways” to address the environmental impact of the construction sector

Europe’s construction ecosystem employs approximately 24.9 million people but it is also extremely fragmented with 99.9% of the companies being SMEs. Nikolaus J. Kurmayer discusses on the EURACTIV website the plans of the European Commission to transform the sector and that digitalisation could be the silver bullet to address all the problems – lack of … Continue reading The European Commission has outlined possible “transition pathways” to address the environmental impact of the construction sector →

An SME’s guide to reducing their carbon footprint and environmental impact

Retail Merchant’s Services has prepared a new guide for SMEs. People care a lot more about the impact we’re having on the environment than they did a couple of decades ago, with green schemes, sustainability drives and heightened social pressure to take care of the world we share. For all businesses, including SMEs, there’s a … Continue reading An SME’s guide to reducing their carbon footprint and environmental impact →

Disappointment in new climate information hub for SMEs in Britain

Opened to great fanfare, the UK government-backed Business Climate Hub has come in for criticism from small businesses that hoped it would help them to cut their carbon emissions and provide a simple reporting guide. Richard Tyler explains in an article on The Times website. Climate hub ‘sends small firms on wild goose chase’ … Continue reading Disappointment in new climate information hub for SMEs in Britain →

European Commission updates its EU industrial strategy

This week the European Commission updated the EU Industrial Strategy to ensure that its industrial ambition takes full account of the new circumstances following the COVID-19 crisis and helps to drive the transformation to a more sustainable, digital, resilient and globally competitive economy. It shows support for industrial sectors that are strategic to the European … Continue reading European Commission updates its EU industrial strategy →

Andhra Pradesh government will launch an Internet of Things (IoT) pilot project in micro, small and medium enterprises in all districts to study energy efficiency measures

Visakhapatnam News reports on the Times of India website that the Andhra Pradesh government is taking important steps to launch an IoT project for MSMEs to promote greater energy efficiency. Andhra Pradesh to launch IoT project in MSMEs for energy efficiency The government will launch an Internet of Things (IoT) pilot project in micro, … Continue reading Andhra Pradesh government will launch an Internet of Things (IoT) pilot project in micro, small and medium enterprises in all districts to study energy efficiency measures →