Brussels, 18 October 2024
Today, the Commission published the 2024 Eurobarometer on Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), resource efficiency, and green markets. The survey will feed into the Commission’s efforts to help SMEs become greener and foster their long-term competitiveness.
The Eurobarometer reveals that 93% of EU SMEs are implementing at least one resource-efficiency measure such as saving energy, minimising waste, and recycling. According to the survey, 25% of SMEs have developed a strategy to reduce their carbon footprint or achieve climate neutrality. Renewable energy use is on the rise: more than one in ten SMEs (12%) generate renewable energy onsite and 23% of SMEs purchase energy from a supplier of renewable energy. However, SMEs indicate that they face challenges, with complex administrative or legal procedures (35% of SMEs) and high costs (28% of SMEs) for implementing resource-efficiency measures.
The EU counts nearly 26 million SMEs, employing around 90 million people and generating more than half of Europe’s GDP. These SMEs account for an important share of all corporate CO₂ emissions. The Commission supports SMEs in their transition to greener practices, which are key to maintaining and enhancing competitiveness. Initiatives such as the sustainability advisors of the Enterprise Europe Network, the Transition Pathways across industrial ecosystems, and financing options via the InvestEU programme, help SMEs reduce their environmental impact while improving efficiency, cutting costs, and gaining a competitive edge. In addition, the National Recovery and Resilience Plans also finance reforms and investments to support greater resource efficiency of SMEs.