The EcoEconomy 4.0 project sought to support SMEs in the North, Center and Alentejo regions to make a fair, informed and inclusive transition in the areas of Decarbonization/Energy Transition and Circular Economy.
The main objective of EcoEconomy 4.0 was to stimulate and sensitize these companies to adopt innovative and sustainable practices of Circular Economy and Decarbonization/Energy Transition, using the digital technologies of Industry 4.0, with a view to counteracting the high costs and increasing the resilience of business models against current and future climate risks.
Promoted by the AEP, between April 2021 and August of this year, the EcoEconomy 4.0 project was co-financed by the Competitiveness and Internationalization Operational Program, through Portugal 2020 and the European Regional Development Fund.
16 Months of regular initiatives
Over 16 months, the project promoted several initiatives to help the more than 600 companies involved, most of them from the industrial and service sectors, to meet the environmental objectives set. These initiatives consisted of activities in the field of strategic intelligence, the creation of tools to support the deepening of the Circular Economy and the Energy Transition and the promotion of training actions and activation of good practices.
The self-diagnosis tools allowed the companies involved to assess their degree of adoption of Decarbonisation/Energy Transition and Circular Economy practices, capitalize on existing knowledge and practices, structure the information and create concrete action plans for continuous improvement in these areas.
visible results
The effects of the initiatives are already visible. Although the participating companies are already applying some good practices, either by regulatory imposition or on their own initiative, the promotional and information activities launched in the field of EcoEconomy 4.0 led the companies of these three Portuguese regions to initiate a process of reflection on future steps. .
The actions to disseminate the results of the project throughout its period of operation also contributed to the awareness of the business world and other concerned partiesmotivating them to adhere to the products generated and the maturity assessment tools of SMEs in terms of Decarbonization/Energy Transition and Circular Economy.
In the balance made at the end of the project, it is also worth mentioning the good reception in the North of the country, explained by the fact that it is a highly industrialized region. In Alentejo, the smaller size of the companies and the lower weight that industry occupies there may explain the greater difficulty in involving the local business fabric.
Diagnosis and future steps
Regarding the current situation and the needs of SMEs in terms of environmental sustainability, for the AEP the conclusions are clear: it is necessary to give, through the implementation of collective business efficiency actions, special attention to SMEs to through appropriate public policies, personalized support. tools and further capacity building.
The importance of easy access for SMEs to financing instruments that promote the economic and energy transition, with a view to sustainable development, is also fundamental. Added to this are other priority action areas identified by the project: the management and reuse of waste and access to secondary raw materials and renewable energies.
Furthermore, considering that most Circular Economy and even Decarbonisation solutions require cooperation and collective initiatives, the involvement of business associations, clusters and technology centers, among others, is essential. SMEs would also benefit from collaborating with larger companies, as individually they may not have the critical mass and capacity to develop or implement these solutions, given their size.
According to Luís Miguel Ribeiro, president of the AEP, “The EcoEconomy 4.0 project makes an important contribution to the future, materialized in a collective roadmap of actions to delve into the thematic areas of Circular Economy and Decarbonization/Energy Transition in SMEs and examples of Industry 4.0 technologies that enhance this performance. These “roadmaps” propose initiatives aimed at SMEs, in the complementarity and strengthening of public policies and actions that are being implemented or scheduled for the future”.
Source: Observadora
