You may remember that in March 2023, the final instalment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) was published. This eight-year long undertaking from the world’s most authoritative scientific body on climate change detailed the devastating consequences of rising GHG emissions around the world — the destruction of homes, the … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, August 4, 2024
Category: SMEs
New OECD report on which SMEs are greening
Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) could play a pivotal role in the pursuit of climate objectives. SMEs have a significant carbon footprint on aggregate, but they can also contribute to reaching net zero through their innovations and commitment to the use of environmentally friendly practices. This study develops a novel metric to identify environmental engagement, … Continue reading New OECD report on which SMEs are greening
Energy in Demand News, June 23, 2024
There is more evidence that the corporate world is dropping or missing goals to cut GHG emissions. In an article in the Financial Times (behind a paywall), it is mentioned that large corporations such as Unilever, the Bank of America and Shell have “in the past year dropped or missed goals to cut emissions or … Continue reading Energy in Demand News, June 23, 2024
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
