public hearing green action plan for smes: …...public hearing green action plan for smes:...
TRANSCRIPT
Public Hearing
Green Action Plan for SMEs: Opportunities and Challenges(9 November 2015)
Parliamentary Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE)
Dr. Katharina ReuterEcopreneur.eu, European Network of National Green Economy AssociationsUnternehmensGrün, Federal Association of Green Business (Germany)
Objectives
All member organizations are unified in their acceptance of
responsibility for our economy, our environment and our
society.
• Green New Deal and reformation of EU economy
• Promotion of social innovation
• Focus on regional economic structures and SMEs
Together we set a course for sustainable economic
policies.
Green action plan for SMEs 3
Green action plan for SMEs 5
…more than 1.500 sustainable companies…
Green action plan for SMEs 6
CircularEconomy
positivefootprint
CO2-neutral
Economy for theCommon good
WE NEED
THE
TRANSFORMATION
OF THE
ECONOMY
Green action plan for SMEs 7
External costs not internalised
The capital intensity of sustainable innovation often higher than regular innovation
Investors lack knowlegde regarding sustainableinnovations >> risks are often estimated too high
It‘s difficult for SMEs tobring sustainable productsto the market
Current economic system does not value ecological andsocial innovations STARTING POINT 1:
MARKET
FAILURE
Green action plan for SMEs 8
EU Commission communication
• Recource efficiency = important factor for competitiveness of
European economy
• Raw materials = 40% of production costs
• Saving potential of 630 Mrd. EUR p.a.
• Improvement of resource efficiency only possible if SMEs gained additional
knowledge regarding resource efficiency >> start here!
STARTING POINT 2:INCREASING PRESSURE FORRESSOURCEEFFICIENCY
Assessing the Potential Cost Savings and Resource Savings of Investments in 4 SME sectors
Green action plan for SMEs 9
RPA (2015): Assessing the Potential Cost Savings
and Resource Savings of Investments in 4 SME sectors,
report for DG Environment, February 2015, Loddon,
Norfolk, UK
Green action plan for SMEs 10
Advanced
Green products,
green business models
Interested
Enterprises,
partly implementing
green advancements,
progressing
Uninvolved
Enterprises
WHERE ARE SMEs IN REGARDS TO SUSTAINABILITY & TRANSFORMATION ?
Green action plan for SMEs 11
Important for the success of SMEs in Green Economy:1. Market2. Incentives >> Financing represents highest obstacle3. Legislation4. Measures in value chain
Advanced
Green products,
green business models
Interested
Enterprises,
partly implementing
green advacements,
progressing
Uninvolved
Enterprises
Green action plan for SMEs 12
European Resource
Efficiency Excellence Centre
Horizon2020
COSME
2014-2020
EFRE and EMFF-
Support SMEs
LIFE: Funding of energy
efficiency measures in SMEs
Network Eco-Inn
(Investors<> SMEs)
Climate Knowledge &
Innovation Community
(Climate-KIC)
Private financing in the area
of energy efficiency (PF4EE)Homepage:
Financing
Investment and
structural funds
Flash Eurobarometer on
SMEs and Resource
Efficiency
Erasmus+
Green action plan for SMEs 13
! Both of these drivers for innovation are virtually absent in
the GAP for SMEs!
a. Market demand b. Legislation
SMEs and also large enterprises reactstrongly upon…
14
Call 1Market demand:circular public procurement and economic incentives
Call 2Legislation:EU-Directive on CircularDesign Directive
Recommendation I: increase market potential with…
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…Prices, stating ecological and social truth (internalize external costs)• Well funtioning emission trading scheme (EU-ETS) or CO2-tax• Taxes: lower taxes on work; higher taxes on raw materials, resource use• Incentives for consumers, e.g. Adaption of VAT rules for Circular Economy
… ambitious targets:• Ambitious and binding targets for Renewables, Energy Efficiency, Energy Savings• Binding target energy efficiency (30 percent until 2030)
… EU as launching customer / public procurement:• Concrete specifications on sustainability and green products in public procurment• Example: Fair IT (e.g. fairly-produced computer mouse, Nager IT) will not be selected in public
procurement due to higher prices
Recommendation II: promote best practice
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a) Non-financial reporting (EU Draft law): support SMEs financially
b) Support Economy for the common good:• EESC 09/2015: European Economic and Social Committee recommends adding the principles of
the “Economy for the common good” in the work of the European institutions • Rapporteur Carlos Trias Pintos demands that „those enterprises, guided by sustainable and
ethical principles, will be rewarded in the future“• Economy of the common good-certified enterprises support GAP >> promote drafting „Common Good
Balance Sheets“
c) Business cooperation:• Easily accessible funding for cooperation projects of enterprises (also with NGOs)• Regional cooperation = Hot spots; especially in cross-border regions (cross-border tenders) • Easily accessible information on pilot projects and funding possibilities
(UEAPME: „until now very unclear“)
Recommendation III: Sustainable Trade?
Green action plan for SMEs 17
• The pioneers of tomorrow (Ecopreneurs) are nowadays in schools, universities and training institutes • Green Skills: are not included, however, it’s an important aspect in the transformation towards a resource
efficient economy (Source: UEAPME)
Aim: "developing European leadership in green processes and technologies“ >> TTIP and CETA should therefore set new standards for sustainable trade – but they don’t! …change in trade… weakening of regional markets and standards…
Recommendation IV: Education & Training
COSME or Horizon2020 support SMEs in sustainable innovation. However, the real challenge is that we do not have the courage to develop integrated European markets, which are truly sustainable – and also includeregulation and legislation.
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Green Action Plan for SMEs
+ strong Action Plan for Circular Economy
= SUCCESSFUL SUPPORT OF GREEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP
& TRANSFORMATION OF THE ECONOMY
Green action plan for SMEs 19
Green Action Plan for SMEs
+ strong Action Plan for Circular Economy
= SUCCESFUL SUPPORT OF GREEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP
& TRANSFORMATION OF THE ECONOMY
Green action plan for SMEs 20
• No knowledge in large enterprises about the
impotance of circular economy
• Our members show, that SMEs can be very
successful in CE
• Value chains involve both SMEs and large
enterprises
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Climate-KIC (Climate Knowledge & Innovation Community):High Performance Accelerator for start-ups andSMEs. Aim: 400 start-ups/year >> when will thisnumber be reached? Where is the initiative now?
Horizon2020: The decision process (8 months) is too long for acute-innovative projects. 6 weeks would be much better. Funding for projects that already started should be made possible.
European Enterprise Promotion Award:Since 2013 Catergory for supporters of green marketsIdea: CE-Award (Circular Economy) >> very welcome!!
What is „green entrepreneurship“?
What is NOT „green“, but „green washing“?
www.ecopreneur.eutwitter.com/EcopreneurEUwww.facebook.com/ecopreneur.eu
Thank you foryour attention!
Business associations about the GAP for SMEs:
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Pionier-SMEs (green entrepreneurs) do not have
problems with regulation. Polluting practices of
conventional enterprises should be sanctioned
much more.
Business Europe und UEAPME welcome the
fact that no new SME- related regulation is
planned in GAP
Business Europe, UEAPME ECOPRENEUR.EU
Eurochambers: “We need more concrete and practice-oriented support actions for SMEs when consulted, so we are disappointed
that the Commission’s proposals to this effect are largely trivial. Does it really require a new action plan to
announce everyday measures like updating Commission websites or using the Enterprise Europe Network to
inform SMEs?”
Eurochambers report that a lack of time and expertise is the main obstacle to green actions among SMEs. Instead of being flooded with information, they want concrete, tailored guidance on day-to-day operations, which should be largely cost-neutral and practice-oriented.