Enterprise and Industry Green Action Plan for SMEs

Enterprise and Industry Green Action Plan for SMEs Pavel Misiga DG ENV, Eco-innovation and circular economy 2 July 2013

The basis of the Green Action Plan • - Resource efficiency for all SMEs • - The circular economy

The importance of resource efficiency: Cost structure for European manufacturing SMEs A better use of resources is estimated to represent an overall savings potential of € 630 billion per year for European industry. Source: Europe. INNOVA, REMake

• The circular economy • 60% of total waste in the EU is not recycled, composted or reused: • Enormous leakage of valuable resources • 44% of large companies in the EU sell their scrap material to another company, while only 24% of SMEs do so •

Green Action Plan for SMEs Industrial Policy Update Sustainability, low-carbon, resource efficiency: crosscutting all six priority action lines Small Business Act Principle 9: "Enable SMEs to turn environmental challenges into business opportunities" Lessons learnt from the Environmental Compliance Assistance Programme for SMEs

Outline Greening SMEs Green entrepreneurship Greener value chains Access to markets Public consultation to be launched soon

Potential elements • Availability of funding and financing in key areas - tbc: • Cluster support • Innovation • Circular-economy related projects • Enhancing availability of support on resource efficiency and circular economy to SMEs • Actions through the Enterprise Europe Network – step up support regarding resource efficiency and the circular economy • Better information: on funding and financing, on resource efficiency improvements • Enhance partnerships in the service of resource efficiency in SMEs • Enhance knowledge on barriers to steer future policy

More information • Imola Bedő • sustainable production • DG ENV, Eco-innovation and circular economy • Imola. bedo@ec. europa. eu • Eva Revilla • Policy officer • DG ENTR, Clusters and Support for SMEs • Eva-maria. revilla-penaranda@ec. europa. eu