Background

Large industrial enterprises in Mediterranean Europe and northern Africa are usually subject to strict environmental standards and efficiency guidelines.  In contrast, small and medium-sized enterprises in this region, often clustered in port cities, are much less aware of and less oriented towards efficiency and environment concerns.

Purpose

To support the investment decision process in small and medium-sized enterprises and direct it towards sustainable choices, centred  around the development of a self-evaluation kit for southern Mediterranean SMEs, its testing in Italy and its dissemination in Tunisia.

Main Activities

• Analyse and report on the key indicators for SMEs on energy efficiency, renewable energy, ecological structures, sustainable mobility and industry location
• Assemble a multi-criteria matrix set of indicators
• Construct a web-based tool that will be used in the testing phase, creating a rating system as a baseline for future applications.
• Test the tool with Italian SMEs to gather suggestions for improvement.
• Tailor the final product to the end users in an open-source platform where experts supported by trainers and professionals, can personalize a set of evaluation tools.
• Train and disseminate to approximately 20 Tunisian SMEs in order to replicate the benefits of project in North Africa, including introduction of the methodology and web-based tool, and a comprehensive, practical handbook.

Expected Impact

• SMEs are enabled to evaluate their own environmental performance and able to use it to do cost/benefit analysis on investments in renewable energy.
• Tools developed are exportable to other branches of sustainable development, spreading e-commerce style methods in the green economy.
• Training and education of personnel in the partner enterprises spills over in the form of increased competence in information management around energy efficiency and ecology, plus basic knowledge of data warehousing and mining.