GREEN SMEs = SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY

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GREEN SMEs SUSTAINABLE ECONOMY
WIZARD OF THE ENVIRONMENT ENTERPRISE EUROPE
NETWORK INTERNATIONAL TRAINING SESSION 3-5
October 2012 9 Iskar str., hall A, 1st
floor Sofia, BCCI
Vladislava Georgieva Energy efficiency and RES
consultant
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The problem The main problem is that the EU's
20 policy objectives for energy savings could
not be met with present policies - thus the
related environmental, social, security of supply
and economic benefits could not be realized.
Action

• The main questions
• Will SMEs be able to contribute to EUs 20
  policy objectives?
• What is SMEs role?
• Will SMEs be able to play a key role in
  delivering Green services, deals and knowledge?
• Do they know WHAT, HOW, WHY?

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EU STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
Smart growth developing an economy, based on
knowledge and Innovation Sustainable growth
promoting more resource-efficient, greener and
more competitive economy Inclusive growth
fostering high-employment Economy. delivering
social and territorial cohesion.
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Why SMEs?

• In the European Union there are more than 20
  million enterprises in the private sector of
  these 99 are small and medium-sized enterprises
  (SMEs) with a workforce of nearly 90 million
  people.
• In general 60 -70 of the environmental impact
  is related to SMEs.

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Why SMEs?

• SMEs contribute 64 of environmental impact
• About 24 of SMEs are actively engaged in
  actions which are reducing their environmental
  impact
• About 0.4 of SMEs use a certified Environmental
  Management System
• Most EU businesses are small and medium-sized
  enterprises (SMEs). They represent
• an enormous energy saving potential for the EU

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Why SMEs?
While the environmental impact /including energy
consumption/ from an individual company may be
low, the overall impact of a sector can be very
high.
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BULGARIAfact sheet
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Small Medium EnterprisesFacts and figures
Statistical trends since 2003 clearly demonstrate
vigorous development of Bulgarias SME sector in
recent years. The growth in the number of
Bulgarian enterprises was only temporarily
dampened by the crisis, with growth levels
picking up again relatively quickly. This
development was particularly driven by small and
medium sized enterprises.
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Small Medium EnterprisesFacts and figures
Small Business Act profile for Bulgaria is behind
the EU average. The figures show that Bulgaria
is performing in line with its EU peers on four
of the eight SBA principles for which averages
are available for Bulgaria (the area average for
principle 9 Environment is missing for all
countries owing to lack of data, and for the SBA
area Think Small First, here is only one
indicator available for Bulgaria), namely
Responsive administration, Public procurement and
state aid, Access to finance and the Single
market. For the remaining four principles,
Bulgaria is behind the European average.
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Small Medium Enterprisesfact sheet

• There are more than 352 000 SMEs in Bulgaria and
  large share of them are micro enterprises.
• The realized SMEs activity revenues amount at BGN
  136 112 mn, and a decrease of 1.4 with respect
  to the previous year is registered.
• The SMEs employed 73 of total country workforce.
  
• The Bulgarian SMEs are one of the SMEs with
  smallest turnover in Europe.
• In 2011, the most utilized financing source in
  Bulgarian SMEs are the funds of the owner (62).

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Small Medium Enterprisesfact sheet

• At the beginning of 2012, the access to financing
  is severely restricted for 69 of the
  enterprises.
• Over a half of the SMEs are afraid of bankruptcy
  (54).
• 86 of the SMEs do not have sufficient financial
  resources to finance the necessary investments.
• The most frequently encountered innovative
  activity in the Bulgarian SMEs is related to
  amendments in the business processes targeted at
  optimization and cost cutting (38).
• The least penetrated innovative activity is
  related to carrying out mutual initiatives in the
  area of education between the individual
  enterprise and the academic institutions (9).
• In 57 of the SMEs low innovation activity is
  observed, and in 8 of them it is relatively
  high.

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SME and environmental issues quick fact sheet

• Very small SMEs share completely complied with
  the EU requirements and most are not prepared to
  fulfill the quality, environmental, safety and
  other EU requirements.
• SMEs are aware of main environmental impact
  associated with their activities, but the level
  of awareness of EU environmental legislation is
  considerably low.
• The graph below is presenting data about
  Requirements Acquire Level

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SME and environmental issues quick fact sheet
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SME and environmental issues quick fact sheet

• SMEs are aware of environment protection
  legislation field concerning activities and in
  particular of the most typical requirements
  related to the energy efficiency measures and air
  polluting emissions.
• Usually SMEs complied with environmental
  legislation driven by obligations/penalties
  (refer to their operation) and in same case
  because of dement requirements (certificate
  ISO9001 and ISO14001).
• In contrast environmental activities as reduction
  of energy consumption and/or introduction of
  energy standards are implemented because of
  possible expenses reduction and some funds
  availability (special credit line and EU funds).

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SME and environmental issues quick fact sheet

• ISO 9001
• 3818 certified companies /total/
• 237 certified companies /metal and metal product
  sector/
• ISO 14 001
• 898 certified companies /total/
• 63 certified companies /metal and metal product
  sector/
• Only 14 of SMEs meet all environmentally
  related requirements, but at the same time 73 of
  all Bulgarian companies are not making any
  environmental investments.

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SME and environmental issues quick fact sheet

• Nevertheless, number of environmental impact
  initiatives are already indentified and applied
  as
• Best available technology
• Clean Technologies environmental friendly
  machines, equipment and systems systematic
  technical service and maintenance
• Energy Management System and RES utilization
• Eco-labeling
• Eco-design

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Outline obstacles and how to overcome it
Web based tools development, training, experts
on-site visiting and advising, networking,
help-desk etc.
Lack of awareness and access to appropriate
information
The SMEs are facing serious difficulties in
Certification and Standardization because of
additional cost load development and
introduction of special funds or grand schemas
for SMEs with clear and simplified application
procedures, fiscal tools.
Lack of financial resources and incentives
Clumsy administrative procedures
Procedures simplification and establishing better
environment and communication between SMEs and
responsible authorities.
Heavy and prolonged procedures for EMAS, ISO
14001, REACH and other standards introduction.
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A new Directive on Energy Efficiency Challenges
addressed solutions proposed
MEETING ALL THREE 20-20-20 BY 2020 GOALS
BECOMES A MATTER OF URGENCY
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A new Directive on Energy Efficiency Challenges
addressed solutions proposed
So far the EU is not on track to meet its 20
energy efficiency target
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A new policy proposal in relation with SMEs
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How SMEs could become green and sustainable?
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How SMEs could become green and sustainable?
EMAS eco management and audit schema
The EU Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) is
a management tool for companies and other
organisations to evaluate, report and improve
their environmental performance. The scheme has
been available for participation by companies
since 1995 and was originally restricted to
companies in industrial sectors. Since 2001 EMAS
has been open to all economic sectors including
public and private services. The new EMAS scheme
makes it easier for SMEs to participate. With
the introduction of EMAS III, environmental
audits, covering all activities at the
organisation concerned, must be conducted within
an audit cycle of no longer than three years.
Additional information on http//ec.europa.eu/env
ironment/emas/toolkit/index.htm
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How SMEs could become green and sustainable?
ECAP Environmental Compliance Assistance
Programme

• The European Commission proposed an Environmental
  Compliance Assistance Programme  to make it
  easier for SMEs to comply with their obligations
  and improve their environmental
  performances.There are a number of areas where
  action is being taken
• Minimising the administrative burden on
  companies
• Helping SMEs integrate environmental concerns
  into their businesses
• Supporting regional and national networks
• Building up local know-how
• Improving communication
• Providing funding

Additional information on http//ec.europa.eu/env
ironment/sme/programme/programme_en.htm
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How SMEs could become green and sustainable?
ISO 14001 Environmental management systems
The ISO 14000 family addresses various aspects of
environmental management. It provides practical
tools for companies and organizations looking to
identify and control their environmental impact
and constantly improve their environmental
performance. ISO 140012004 and ISO 140042004
focus on environmental management systems. The
other standards in the family focus on specific
environmental aspects such as life cycle
analysis, communication and auditing. ISO
140012004 and SMEs Small and medium sized
enterprises (SMEs) also benefit from ISO
140012004. However, implementing an
environmental management system in SMEs can be
challenging. The publication of ISO 14001,
Environmental Management Systems - An easy to use
checklist for small business, will help SMEs to
achieve the benefits of implementing an
environmental management system based on ISO
14001.
Additional information on http//www.iso.org/iso/
home/standards.htm
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How SMEs could become green and sustainable?
ISO 50001 Energy management

• ISO 500012011 specifies requirements for
  establishing, implementing, maintaining and
  improving an energy management system, whose
  purpose is to enable the organization to follow a
  systematic approach in achieving continual
  improvement of energy performance, including
  energy efficiency, energy use and consumption.
  ISO 500012011 has been designed to be used
  independently, but it can be aligned or
  integrated with other management systems.
• ISO 500012011 provides a framework of
  requirements for organizations to
• Develop a policy for more efficient use of
  energy
• Fix targets and objectives to meet the policy
• Use data to better understand and make decisions
  about energy use
• Measure the results
• Review how well the policy works, and
• Continually improve energy management.

Additional information on http//www.iso.org/iso/
catalogue_detail?csnumber51297
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How SMEs could become green and sustainable?
Energy efficiency certification / energy audit
Since January 2009, EU Member States have been
required to effectively comply with the Energy
Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). One of
the requirements set by the EPBD is to introduce
Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) which are
required to be issued when a building is
constructed, sold or let, i.e. as a part of a
property transaction. As defined by the EPBD,
the Energy Performance Certificate is a document
recognised by a Member State or by a legal person
designated by it, which indicates the energy
performance of a building or building unit,
calculated according to a methodology adopted in
accordance with Article 3.
Additional information on http//ec.europa.eu/ene
rgy/efficiency/index_en.htm
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How SMEs could become green and sustainable?
Energy efficiency certification / energy audit
Energy Efficiency Audit. Understanding energy use
will help to identify opportunities to improve
energy performance and gain financial benefits.
The audit will establish a baseline and provide
options for improving energy efficiency. Make a
Commitment. No matter the size or type of an
organization, the common element of successful
energy savings is commitment. Make a commitment
to allocate staff and funding to achieve
improvement. Set Goals. Well-stated goals guide
daily decision-making and are the basis for
tracking and measuring progress. Communicating
and posting goals can motivate staff to support
energy management efforts. Develop a plan. Your
organization is now poised to develop a road map
to improve energy performance. Create a detailed
action plan to ensure a systematic process to
implement energy performance measures. Implement
the plan. People can make or break an energy
program. Gaining the support of key people at
different levels within the organization is an
important factor in successful implementation. In
addition, reaching your goals frequently depends
on the awareness, commitment, and capability of
the people who implement the projects.
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Thank you for your attention!
Vladislava Georgieva 359887283723 E-mail
vladislava.georgieva_at_asde-bg.org