This course is also delivered in Spanish (02–20 October 2023)
Environmental challenges, including climate change, are changing the way businesses work - either because they are forced to or because they proactively seek to. Green businesses tend to be more profitable and future proof. They save scarce resources, help maintain healthy ecosystems, minimize pollution and waste, limit greenhouse emissions, and provide green goods and services that enable more responsible consumption patterns. Green businesses are vital for a development model that delivers a triple bottom-line of prosperity, planet and people. The benefits from flourishing green businesses are twofold. The business community becomes more competitive while at the same time the jobs produced are supporting a societal change towards greener and healthier lives for people. However, sustainability as a business driver remains novel for many. Companies therefore need support in the process of going green. Governments and private sector support agencies have a clear role in creating an enabling environment for green business growth and promoting the greening of business practices. This course will provide policy makers and practitioners with insights and tools to support businesses in the green economy. How to support businesses in their efforts to go green? What works and what does not work in supporting green business development? Join this course to find out more on green business growth strategies and become one of the movers and shakers in a greener future.
This course targets policymakers and business service providers involved in the design and implementation of national or local strategies and instruments for supporting the greening of businesses: employers' and business membership organizations; SME agencies, business development service providers and business incubators; development practitioners responsible for green business finance and/or green business development; development agencies sponsoring green SMEs and entrepreneurship; members of civil society organizations supporting green business growth.
This course provides both a conceptual and practical overview of how business
service providers and business membership organizations support SMEs going green,
including:
This course will provide you with an increased understanding of: