RECENT ADVANCES TOWARDS ECOLOGICAL AND COMPETITIVE SMES

Climate changes, lack of energy supplies and sustainable development are key challenges for SMEs, which have to adopt more sustainable production and business models. In the environmental field, the SMEs are particularly vulnerable to the current trend of rising prices for energy and raw materials, to forecast climate changes and they need to increase their efficiency and capacity to adapt to these challenges, in order to turn them into opportunities. Therefore the main objectives pursued by the European Commission regards the increasing of compliance with environmental legislation by SMEs; the eco-efficiency (energy, resources) of SMEs by using proper environmental management system; the cost-effectiveness of environmental policy; the eco-innovation of SMEs and their competitiveness.