What Can the Circular Economy Offer to SME's in Western Balkans and Turkey?

9 March 2018, Paris - Lessons from OECD’s Regional Policy Dialogue Meeting: ”SMEs in a Green Economy”

Policy makers are increasingly interested in achieving a sustained economic growth and development without harming the environment. Reducing the environmental impact of SMEs presents one of the key factors in this regard, given that SMEs constitute a vast majority of business population. Decreasing environmental footprint can also be observed as an important business opportunity for SMEs; however, they are often faced with a number of limitations in improving their environmental performance, such as size-related obstacles, financial limitations, skill deficit and knowledge constraints. 

Against this background, the fourth regional policy dialogue meeting served as a platform to discuss SME greening policies and exchange country experiences and lessons learned. It convened over 60 senior policy-makers, representing various ministries and SME agencies from the Western Balkans and Turkey as well as senior representatives from the private sector.

Reception at OECD Paris

The primary objective of the regional policy dialogue was to discuss policies that would facilitate smooth and successful transition of SMEs towards greener economy. By presenting various good practices from OECD/EU countries and hearing private sector testimonials, the meeting showcased the tangible benefits of implementing these policies for enhanced productivity, competitiveness, as well as creating new business opportunities.

Circular Change was invited to share the experience of Slovenia SMEs. Director Ladeja Godina Košir introduced the engagement and creation process of the Roadmap towards the Circular Economy in Slovenia as well as the role of Circular Change platform on national and international level. The upcoming Roadmap will highlight the priority areas for Slovenian transition towards circular economy, where SME’s play an important role. The document will provide recommendations on how Slovenian policymakers can help SME’s shift their business practices from linear to circular.

All the meeting materials, including powerpoint presentations delivered by the speakers, can be accessed directly from the website here. You are also invited to check meeting tweets that sparked online discussions, by having a look at the hashtag #OECDseeurope.

Panel discussion

Brendan Burn, Iain Gulland, Ladeja Godina Košir

Iain Gulland and Ladeja Godina Košir

James Hogan and Iain Gulland

OECD Paris